Drought. The cracks in the earth open wider. Plants halt in their tracks. Growth stymies for lack of moisture. The tentacles of drought reach far and wide, create hardship, famine, and stir up violence.
I remember the first year my husband and I stepped into farming. Harvest yields shriveled to nothing and we had to apply for government assistance. A hailstorm pulverized our cash crop of canola.We wondered if we'd made a big mistake. We both took jobs outside the farm to make ends meet. I worked as an EA since there were no teaching jobs available. Bill sorted potatoes.
We'd moved from the city to a small town, cut off in many ways from the supports of friends and church families we'd been part of for a long time. That was a drought of a different sort. A childhood friend of mine who'd moved back two years earlier, encouraged me to think of it as being transplanted and to give myself two years to grow new roots in the community.Understanding the demands of transition helped but we both longed for something more.
The barreness of my womb created a drought of the soul. It opened cracks and fissures in our newly formed relationship. Longings unfulfilled. Hopes dashed. Unexplained infertility. A famine of a different sort.
The prophet Isaiah declared that one day,
The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy...
The burning sand will becom a pool,
The thirsty ground bubbling springs.(Isaiah 35 1,6,7)
My husband and I watched the Lord supply rain over the years and all of our needs throughout all of the ups and downs of farming. He was our Jehovah Jireh. After nine years of waiting, we became to parents to a son and daughter through adoption. We have seen the faithfulness of God in times of emotional and physical drought. He truly is the sustainer of all living things.
Springs of Living Water
By Tamara Wanner
Thunderous roars cascade
Tenous ripples trickle
Salty tears scorch
Living waters sustain
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