It has been called the creeping disaster because it always begins unnoticed. Days pass, and clouds disappear. Slowly but surely, sources of water dry up. Creek beds, dry and cracked. Lakes and rivers shrink. The grass turns brown. It withers and dies. Crops fail. Cattle die. Until what were once days of joyful harvest become days of dust and death.
Drought.
It may surprise you to learn that the Bible has a lot to say about drought, especially the spiritual significance and meaning of drought. Because in Scripture, drought is always more than wind currents, jet streams, and global warming. In Scripture, drought is ultimately a sign of the dry, cracked, hard hearts of God’s people.
And just like physical drought, spiritual drought is a creeping disaster. Unnoticed at first. But slowly and surely, streams of living water begin to dry up in churches, denominations, even nations.
Sadly, unlike physical drought, spiritual drought often goes unnoticed among God’s people. Orthodox teaching remains. Bible facts and truths are still taught. But there is no spiritual life. No substance. A form of godliness remains, but the power of the Spirit of God is missing.
I read an article yesterday on the growing number of Christians who are beginning to doubt their faith. It’s easy to blame these struggles on our “liberal,” “godless,” “secular,” society. But that’s a cop-out. That’s nothing but blame-shifting, which is as old as the Garden of Eden: “The woman you gave me!”
Listen to these words of A.W. Tozer written in 1948 (and remember that many believe the slow beginning of spiritual drought in the United States began shortly after World War II):
“Current evangelicalism has laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts, but now seems satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire atop lofty Mount Carmel.”
Tozer continues and describes the large number of Bible teachers correctly setting forth doctrine and Bible truths but lacking the manifest presence of God’s Spirit in their lives and ministries. Could this be the reason so many of our celebrity Christian leaders spend more time criticizing and bashing the so-called pagans rather than demonstrating the life-changing power of Jesus in their lives and ministries?
No wonder our nation is so divided, so violent, so angry. If you ween pups on fight, all they know how to do is fight.
“Where is the God of Elijah?” That question, asked centuries ago by the prophet Elisha echoes the cry of God’s people in our day. Where is the fire? Where is the rain? Where is the presence of God’s Spirit in our lives and churches?
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.1
Do these words describe your church, your denomination, your life? If so, stay tuned, I’ve got a lot more to say about spiritual drought and how we can overcome it in our lives and churches.
In Christ,
Dan
Psalm 42:1-2
Thank you. This is such a good word.