Dear One,
This morning I sat silent before God.
Parched.
Reaching for my earbuds, I tuned into the sound of rain.
And there I sat, soul stretched wide.
Aching. Longing. Hoping for relief to come.
“My soul is dry,” the Psalmist said. (Psalm 63:1)
“Me, too,” I whispered.
And we waited, the Psalmist and I.
“Parched with thirst, on the brink of exhaustion.” (Psalm 107:5)
“Me, too,” I nodded.
And we prayed, the Psalmist and I.
And as we waited and as we prayed, we listened for the sound of the longed-for rain. Like Elijah before us, we watched the sky for gathering clouds, and …
“In a little while the sky grew dark with clouds and wind,
and there were heavy showers.” (1 Kings 18:43-45)
No small rain, my friend.
“God poured great draughts of water down parched throats.”
(Psalm 107:9)
“Poured out rain in buckets.”
(Psalm 68:9)
“Reviving rain upon the weary.”
(Psalm 68:9)
“Satisfying the thirsty ones.”
(Psalm 107:9)
The thirsty ones. Satisfying the thirsty ones. The Psalmist and me. And Elijah, and you there, too?
Those experiencing a drought received a draught. Did you catch that?
I’m captured by these words:
- A drought is a lack of something expected or desired; a period of dryness, especially when prolonged.
- Meanwhile, a draught is what the disciple Peter experienced on a bone-dry day. After fishing all night and coming up empty (a drought of fish), Jesus showed up and encouraged Peter to put his nets out again. Just one more time. I’d imagine Peter was quite surprised when he caught a “draught” of fish, “such a large number that their nets began to break.” (Luke 5:1-9)
Here’s my conclusion: Jesus has draughts for our droughts. Poured out provisions right down thirsty throats. All over barren ground. Filling empty nets.
The apostle Paul says, “We can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 5:5)
Draughts.
Like Peter and all his fish.
So here we are, the Psalmist and I.
Us with souls stretched out, heads tilted back, mouths open wide.
Dancing now, turning circles and laughing loud as we drink in draughts.
Poured out provision on all our parched places.
Buckets of blessing, indeed.
Dear One, God knows how to fill our cups and satisfy our souls.
Draughts for droughts: Our Little Life Words of the Week.
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DEEPER DIVE
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Ponder:
- Where are you feeling a drought right now? What are your parched places?
- “God poured great draughts of water down parched throats.” What would you ask God to pour great draughts of over your parched soul, mind, or body?
Practice:
- Jesus says, “Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty. I promise you, you will not go unrewarded.” (Matthew 10:42)
- What’s one thing you can do this week to quench someones thirst? Even in a small way?
Play:
- Our song of the week is: Find Me in the River by Jeremy Camp.
Pray:
- Sit with the Psalmist. Or Elijah. And pray for rain. Great draughts for great droughts all across our land.
May God Himself pour grace all over you and may your nets overflow.