Sunny drought

Psalm 84:5-8 TPT

How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord; within their hearts are the highways of holiness! [6] Even when their paths wind through the dark valley of tears, they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain. He gives to them a brook of blessing filled from the rain of an outpouring. [7] They grow stronger and stronger with every step forward, and the God of all gods will appear before them in Zion. [8] Hear my cry, O God of Heaven's Armies! God of Jacob, listen to my loving prayer. Pause in his presence

We are amidst a heatwave and a summer drought. The skies are often very blue and cloudless as the noonday sun beats down relentlessly.

Everything is drying up, The Green in town could more rightly be called The Yellow.

Only the trees whose roots are down deep in the soil are thriving.

We think that the "good times", the "easy times" are a blessing in our spiritual "summers", but, the reverse is true.

Those so called "good times" bring leanness of soul. Before we know it, we can find ourselves in the midst of a spiritual drought.

Compare that with times of weeping as we travel through dark valleys of grief, loss and many different sorrows.

There we find a deep closeness with Jesus that is absent during our sunnier seasons.

When we are stripped of earthly comforts are our hearts can truly long for the return of Jesus to Jerusalem to set up His eternal reign.

We may see and grieve over the march of tyranny in our land, the rule of law turned against us, lies and corruption abounding. All this unseats complacency, ruffles the feathers of our indifference and wakes us from the sleep of half-heartedness.

Let us not recoil from the valley of weeping, those tears are watering the hard soil of our hearts, making them soft and receptive to God's Message.

The weakness and vulnerability make us find our strength and grounding ONLY in the Lord.

May we go from divinely bestowed strength to strength even if it's through - especially when it's through - the valley of weeping.

Be encouraged, sad heart, this morning, your Lord is coming!