Quenching the Thirst

Natural Disasters

This statement would be no surprise to you, but our weather is changing. A shifting of the seasons. From Summer to Fall, we see tree leafs changing into beautiful colors - red, yellow, and orange. Morning frost becomes the new normal until we dusted by snow and then as we move together in time we begin the cycle all over again. One of the reasons I love Michigan is because we experience four seasons.

And yet, weather change is not always good news. My aunt Lamb who lives in Arizona called a couple of months ago to sing me Happy Birthday, brought up the severe fires that we happening around her. She shared her concerns for the planet and life is becoming more inhabitable for many animals and people across the world. Thinking about her comments, she not wrong. Just look at what the United States has gone through just this past Summer.

The West's historic drought.

Hurricane Ida. ...

The Pacific Northwest heatwave. ...

Bootleg, Dixie and Caldor Fires. ...

Water shortage declared. ...

Tennessee flash flooding. ...

Hurricane Henri. ...

We are living in a world of fragile world in which we hope we have our house tomorrow. Look what happened to Port Austin where a tornado swept their little town. Homes were destroyed and thankful no lives were lost, but still natural disasters are here even in the thumb of Michigan.

Which brings us to the story remnant of Israel who was living in postexilic world. Joel the prophet was commissioned by Yahweh to prophesy about the impending destruction of their land and he did so my sending a plague of locust upon their land. A natural disaster of epic proportions. Everything was lost. Which is why Joel called all the people to wake up to the Lord’s judgement and told them to gather and call on God (Joel 1:14).

After wailing and lamenting, Joel then begins a new exclamation for the Judahites. In the new section starting in verse 15 of chapter one.

Joel 1:15–16 ESV

Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

Joel's exclamation describes a mighty day in which the LORD will return in destruction. Verse 16 asks a rhetorical question to intensify the audience emotions. He then elaborates the historical disasters that have plagued the land. All living plants have perished and Joel emphasizes the destruction of all plant life by recounting when a fierce fire consumed it all. The only reasonable response is to call out to God.

Joel identifies himself with his people in their misery. Joel is stating two issues that have occured since the coming of the locust.

No food for the people which brings about famine and starvation.

No sacrificial offerings for God.

In each case, the Judahites are suffering because there is nothing to fill their bellies and no joy to be found since they have nothing to give to Yahweh.

Then Joel shares the calamity of the drought and desiccation of the land and how ever living thing has suffered.

Joel 1:17–18 ESV

The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up. How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer.

Imagine the wailing from the livestock as their roam the pastures for food. The grounds were dry and bare. This drought could result of the end of them.

Which is why Joel mediates for his people and calls out to Yahweh in the midst of his and the people’s distress.

Joel 1:19–20 ESV

To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

The lack of moisture, living water has brought them to a place of complete despair.

Agriculture mirrors Israel’s relationship with Yahweh

The covenant curses of the OT include drought and associated agricultural disaster (Deu 28:22-24). This permits writers in the OT to link the response of the land to the state of Israel's relationship with its God. Notable, Elijah announces drought on the land in 1 Kgs 17 in response to the idolatry of Ahab, which God only alleviates after the people again swear allegiance to him after Elijah's defeat of the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs 18:39-45). Postexilic prophets also use images of drought and renewal to comment on the relationship between God and his people.

Haggai 1:4-11 calls on the people to reflect on their current state, typified by failing harvests, lack of rain, and an inability of the land's wealth to satisfy. The response to this situation is for the people to gather and commit to rebuilding the house of YHWH (Hag 1:12-15).

Zechariah 8:9-12 calls for the workers' hands to be strong as they commit to the task. This results in fertility for the land signaled by the transformation of fasts into feasts (Zech 8:19).

Malachi 3:8-12 reflects similar concerns since YHWH castigates his people for not bringing to him their tithes and offerings. He even proposes that the people put him to the test by bringing him all that he is due and seeing if he will provide for their needs. These passages reveal how the natural world provides a mirror for the relationship between YHWH and his people in the OT.

Yet, the church is not impacted in the same way. Our natural disasters are not connected with our obedience. What happens in natural disasters is a random act because of the fallen world we dwell in.

Spiritual Drought

However, we may never been directly impacted by a natural disaster. But everyone here has undergone a season of spiritual dryness. A place where the soil of your heart has not spiritual rain from heaven in a very long time. Perhaps your drought and desiccation looks similar to Israel's predicament.

You feel helpless and disconnected from the Lord, there is no joy in you and you believe you have nothing to offer God. Everyone experience droughts in their lifetime. While the physical droughts can be deadly, spiritual droughts are outright dangerous.

What happens to us when we live in spiritual drought and desiccation?

We divorces ourselves from God/Church.

We allow our anxiety to control our minds and soul.

We lose sight of the great commission.

What needs to happen so we can overcome the spiritual drought in our lives? The sons of Korah says in Psalm 42 these words.

Psalm 42:1–2 ESV

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

In the gospel of John, Jesus meets a woman who was searching for water from a well in the middle of the day. She had nothing and was thirsty. What she was looking for would quench her thirst for a day, but Jesus wanted to offer her something much greater.

John 4:13–14 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Christ offers us the drink that will quench our spiritual condition. He offers us the Holy Spirit who is the fountain of life.”

“Quench every spiritual drought by retreating to the fountain of life.”

So what do we do?

We follow the pattern of Joel and remember that when we are in a drought we can exit from it. Joel shows that when we have no where to go, we call upwards.

v. 19 "To you, O LORD, I call."

1. Retreat to holy places i.e. Find refuge alone (solitude)

Enter into a place alone to be filled with nothing something, but someone. God’s Spirit can reenergize and quench your thirst. Carve out time in your schedule to spend time alone with Him.

2. Fill your cup and drink it all i.e. Fill your life with God's breathed things (Scriptures/Fellowship)

Saturate your minds with God’ breathed things. Reading the bible daily and being with people who are spiritual filled too will take you out to the parched wilderness.

As the Psalmist says in Psalm 50, God makes a promise when we come to in your season of spiritual dryness.

Psalm 50:15 ESV

and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”