Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Dear God,

The desert is any place where there are troubled waters.  It may be a conflict, an unexpected difficulty, a life tragedy, a fear triggered by some event, or anything that shakes the ground upon which we stand.  It swiftly moves us from still waters to rushing streams.

Life is full of desert moments when we are thrust into uncomfortable and sometimes frightful, frustrating, and overwhelming situations.  Often we feel persuaded to believe we are alone, distressed, and without help.  We react unconsciously like tree roots ripped from the earth, tossed about, and carried downstream where we lie helpless. 

However, the desert is also a dwelling place of the almighty.  When our desert difficulty intersects with our desert god, hope can arise, calm can stir, and peace is possible.  Hope lives there constantly fed by spirit mountain streams that give life.  As we drink deeply, every cell is nourished with life-giving water.  There in that moment we breathe easier as we rest in the knowledge of the one who has rescued us from our distress.

Holy God,
thank you
for teaching us
valuable lessons
from the desert.
Tune us
to your voice
so we
may quickly turn
to you
in our
stressful moments.
Rid us
of every obstacle
that would
cause us
to believe
the desert
will destroy us.
Feed us
holy manna,
we pray.

Love, Andrea