My soul has been thirsty for encouragement this week.  Like a dry riverbed, I long for uplifting rains to fall, bringing life to the dusty soil.  I imagine it’s how the Israelites felt during their years of wandering.  How often did they cry out to Yahweh in distress?  And as always, the Lord provided in His own way and timing.

The Enemy has a way of finding us when we’re vulnerable.  It often seems like just when we finally do something right, we’re hit by something to make us doubt.  But God, who proves faithful time and again, is always there to counter the uncertainty.  In those moments of wavering, I must remember that the One who is steadfast in the storms will be present through any trial I face.

To read my previous posts in this series, click below.

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Lunch Break | Day 23
Everything seems dire
On an empty stomach
No shoe fits just right
No helping hand is enough
And no advice can solve
What is so obviously impossible
Which is why I’m convinced
That God gave us leftovers
To make an easy meal

Interim | Day 24
You are a God of in-betweens
Of reaching through the gaps
And speaking into silence
For when my heart is empty
You are there
You step in to fill the vacuum
Of my soul
You reach across the chasms of unbelief
To wake up the sleeper
When I can’t see the way ahead
And I journey through
The space between signposts
You stand
In the watching and the waiting
In the darkness of myself
In the endless night of wandering
You remain

Tabernacle | Day 25
Enter in to this wilderness
And claim the desert as Your place
Of dwelling
Let me still find words to worship
Even in my wandering
Cast out the fear and doubting
Fill me with Your presence
By smoke and fire
Let me follow
Even when the way ahead is clouded
In spirit and in truth
Let me praise
When the days are filled
With dusty footsteps
And the taste of ash remains
Still be the shelter I run to
Be the most holy place

Teapot | Day 26
The glass teapot was from my dad,
A gift upon graduation
Most of the time, it sits on a shelf
Gathering dust
Because I rarely have need for
A full pot of tea
But every once in a while,
On rainy indoor days
Or when there’s much to be done,
I pull it down
And clean off the months of absence
While it brightens me
From inside out
And I can’t help but reflect
On the perfect thoughtfulness
Of such a gift
Because whether he knew it or not
All those years ago
My father gave me not only
Something useful
But also the memory of his love
That, like a warm cup of tea
At the right moment,
Holds the power to restore
Even the bitterest moments
To hope again

Provision | Day 27
In the wilderness,
It was manna
Sent down to nourish Your children
In the drought,
It was ravens
That brought Elijah’s daily bread
In the flood,
It was a dove
That marked the time of safe passage
In the darkness,
It was Your son
Who became Light for a ravaged world

Walk | Day 28
It must seem to God
That I’m just a puppy
Scratching at the front door
To go out
With my incessant whining
And periodic yips
To remind Him of my presence
As if He could somehow forget
And Him, shaking His head
Because no matter how many times
He proves faithful
I always seem to doubt
That He will hear me
So I stand by the step
On high alert
Waiting for some sign
That my pleas have been answered

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