STXWM Blog

My family and I used to live in the Gulf Coast area, where it would rain almost every day. Just last year, we moved to a small town in Columbus, Texas. We live in the middle of nowhere. Our neighbor has his own little farm where he raises these beautiful milk cows. It’s breathtaking when I catch the sun rising or setting over the land, but there’s a problem: it hasn’t rained in almost a month, and the grass is slowly dying. This isn’t good for the cows or other farmer’s crops. The county has already put burn bans in place and in some areas, it’s recommended to conserve water. I remember a time in my life when I had experienced a drought- only it wasn’t happening to the crops; no, it was happening to my soul.

A spiritual drought can be described as a period of feeling disconnected from God, a lack of spiritual vitality, or a decline in your faith or prayer life. This was me. I had let years of disappointment turn into bitterness. I couldn’t understand why God wasn’t answering my prayers. Didn’t he care how miserable I was? Couldn’t he see the hurt I had felt? Where was God? Why wasn’t he there? These were the questions I kept asking myself. It wasn’t until a friend talked to me, and helped me realize the problem.

Deuteronomy 11:13-15

¹³ “So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— ¹⁴ then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. ¹⁵ I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.”

This message was originally given to the Israelites after the Lord had brought them out of slavery from Egypt. If you continue reading, God was warning them that if they didn’t stay the course and live according to his word, then it wouldn’t rain.

Deuteronomy 11:16-17

¹⁶ “Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. ¹⁷ Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.”

When crops experience drought stress, their photosynthesis declines and they struggle to absorb essential nutrients, ultimately reducing yields. Drought conditions also restrict nutrient movement in the soil, which can result in plant deficiencies. Additionally, drought-stressed forage crops like hay or silage may accumulate excessive nitrates, increasing the risk of livestock poisoning. Just like the rain provides cleansing, growth, and renewal, God does the same for us. The longer I allowed myself to sit and wallow in pity, the further I was from the rain—from God. I wasn’t loving him with all my heart, mind or soul. I was too consumed with what I wanted to see over what God wanted for me.

We must get out of the way, so God can do what he wants to do. It took the Israelites over 40 years to understand this. God proved himself to be faithful, and they still didn’t move out of the way. This cost many of them the promised land and the harvest.

When you think of a physical harvest, you think of mature crops like grain, fruit, or vegetables from a field, but what would a spiritual harvest look like?

This could include but is not limited to:  

• Gifts or talents
• Healing
• Spiritual guidance
• Finances
• Miracles
• Salvation

In my case, I was looking for spiritual guidance in my life. There were 4 things I knew that I needed to do:

1. Seek God’s word daily; it wasn’t enough to know it, I needed to study it too.
2. Pray with hopefulness, not desperation.
3. Fast the distractions in my life. It’s hard to listen for God’s voice when you’re distracted all the time.
4. Trust that God will do what he says he’ll do.

After almost a month of dedicating myself to the Lord in this manner, I could hear his voice clearly. He had answered my prayers. I knew what direction to go in, and I just needed to follow through with it. It wasn’t an easy task either, but the Lord had ordained it; I started to feel hopeful again.

I’d love to tell you that God brought the full harvest right away, but that’s not what happened. It was about a 2-year process of seeking, praying, and trusting. We went through some more droughts, and rainstorms along the way but in the end, the Lord proved to be faithful. Just like he brought rain to Columbus this week, he brought us a beautiful harvest, that was more than we could have imagined.

I want to encourage you to continue seeking God, praying with an open heart, and trusting Him even when the road feels uncertain. Your harvest might not arrive overnight, but each step of faith brings you closer to what He has prepared for you. Remember, the Lord is faithful, and as you lean into His promises, He will guide you through every season—droughts and rainstorms alike—until your own beautiful harvest comes to fruition.

Psalm 136:1-

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

by Melinda B.