A Barren Patch

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. (Isaiah 41:18)

Sometimes, we as believers can hit a barren patch in our lives. Gone is the excitement to worship, the zeal to pray and hunger for the Word seems to have died out. Perhaps it's some long sanding problem that has played on our minds and is the cause, but often it's difficult to figure out what the problem is.

After all the excitement in the first 40 years of his life living in the palace with the Egyptian ruler Pharaoh, Moses hit a barren patch for the next 40 years. Though he got married and had kids in Midian, Moses must have often remembered his days in Egypt. He must have wondered whether things could have been different if he had not taken matters into his own hands by killing an Egyptian. Like Moses, many questions may plague our minds when we go through a barren patch. Things don't seem to move swiftly, dreariness sets in, we go through the motions, but are left unsatisfied.

To preachers who have preached almost everyday and sometimes several times each day, not getting enough oppurtunities to preach or teach the Word can bring a sense of unwantedness. Is it a satanic attack or is God involved? The answers do not come easily.

Moses, finally seemed to have accepted the new life that he was living, taking care of his family and tending to Jethro's flock. The memories of Egypt were fading. "This is it", must be what he felt in his mind. And "this is it" must be what you are thinking in your mind. But wait! God had not finished with Moses and he's not finished with you. A sudden call came to Moses from God at a time when he least expected it and Moses thought he was unprepared for the job. He didn't want to accept it. But God wouldn't take "No" for an answer for he was preparing Moses for this work for 40 years.

If you are going through a barren patch in your spiritual life, God is preparing something new for you. Persist in prayer, worship and meditation of God's Word even if you don't feel excited about it. Things will change. God will do a miracle for you. He will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valley for you.