It has been a long dry spell… a very long dry spell.

It’s as if my bones are dry and brittle. We just need water. Well, I do. So one morning 16 days ago… it has been 16 days… I stood outside and let refreshing rain wash over me. I needed to know it could rain again; as it had not rained for three weeks before this night’s downpouring. As of today, July 23, it hasn’t rained since July 7. With daily temperatures soaring into the 90s.

Dryness… it’s much on my mind this summer. Our part of western Tennessee borders on drought conditions.  In fact, 40 of America’s 50 states are currently experiencing some form of dryness, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Contrary to the 1971 song by the Carpenters, Rainy Days and Mondays have never gotten me down. I love rainy days, especially on Mondays. I am sure there have been times I moaned at too much rain, but I promise to never again complain; now, I am thankful for each drop.

Would you believe there are some places much more dry than our own brown grasses. Aswan, Egypt, receives 0.0338 inches annually.  I cannot imagine living in the driest city on the planet… Arica, Chile. The Atacama Desert, north of Santiago, Chile, is the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, receiving less than a millimeter of rain every year. Or what about Dry Valleys, Antarctica, the world’s driest spot.

Then there’s the other extreme— rain most every day, all day.  A city in India… Mawsynram, receives 11, 871 mm or 467 inches of water falling on them every year. Oh me, those living there have devised full bodied umbrellas made from bamboo and banana leaves to work in the fields …

Too dry… too wet? Often it is our inner peace, in emotional areas where subtle dryness begins. As with weather patterns affecting the rains, so circumstances in life cause spiritual  dryness. And sometimes, we have no idea we are parched.

It has been a long dry spell…  very long, very dry. I long for God as I long for rain.

“O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1

Events in June precipitated more dry places. Extra events added to current family heartaches. Tom and I finally were gifted with Covid! Two deaths, (one of a young friend and the other of a family member) evoked questions. Multiple reactions to strange unusual allergens, an effect of Covid (doctor believes), resulting in a strong infection requiring  strong antibiotics. (Which make me tired. Or dry!) Can I blame the month of June with its various adversities on the dryness of my soul?

Though rain is absent in our area, on our grass, the potted plants on my patio look beautiful and green; they are thriving. Why?  They are lovingly watered every day. Even as I know and understand this truth of continually being refreshed and watered, I have realized there are things I cannot “make happen”; I cannot fix life’s weather patterns. Dry happens to all of us. Everywhere.  And it’s OK… if you seek refreshing rain.

We watched the documentary of the 1930s’ Dust Bowl to understand the human toll of  dryness. The phrase, “if it rains” was the hope in those hard, dry times. Everything depended on the rain coming. And it didn’t… for years. Not any measurable, consistent rain for almost a decade.

“if it rains”… how often Tom and I have uttered these words lately; “if it rains…”  The Rainmaker  is often quiet; I listen. Faith is developed while we wait for the rain (written on a page in my Bible, well, it really says while we wait for the answer.)  So I wait.

For years, I have been confused about or have misunderstood Psalm 42:7 … “Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls…”  You know, it’s a verse we read and move past quickly.

“If you have shallow sorrows, you shall receive but shallow graces; but if you have deep afflictions, you shall obtain the deeper proofs of the faithfulness of God.”  Words spoken by Charles Haddon Spurgeon April 11, 1869.

Deep calls to deep…

In my younger years, I could not swim in deep waters. Yes, I had needs… the mundane needs of a happy family.  I floated in shallow waters. A deep need longs for a deep remedy; now, I find myself thirsty. My deep need… begs for God’s waterfalls.

One must be silent to hear the whispers in the roar. It is incredible when the thundered whispers of God’s love and graces are heard as you plunge into His deep. During these dry days of being watered, I do not want to sink, but to glide through His mighty waves.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 ESV

“The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11

(Thank you, my patient, caring readers, for staying connected . I pray you are swimming in His deep.)

I am being watered…