When You Feel Depleted

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus, it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. Isaiah 35:1-2

I hadn’t been out in the garden for nearly a week because of the persistent rain. When I opened the door to the garden on the first sunny day, I noticed some growth between the pavers. They didn’t look like weeds, so I let them grow, curious to see what they were. About a week later, I realised that they were violets. These violets had grown from seeds that were scattered in the garden by the ones I had growing in pots last year. They were able to grow well between the pavers because they caught the afternoon sun after the rain. When they had grown sufficient roots, I carefully removed them and transplanted them to a pot, where they are now happily growing and will soon be displaying their beautiful blooms.

The violets were able to grow in the tight spot between the pavers because they received what they needed to grow – water and sunlight. The soil between the pavers was just sand. It was not supplemented with the nutrients that would normally nurture the seeds and encourage good growth. And yet they flourished.

Deserts Will Bloom Again

We can sometimes feel like our lives, like the soil between the pavers, are depleted. We feel tired, weary, even exhausted. We feel as if we cannot live up to the demands placed on us. We feel we have no motivation. Our confidence level is low. We feel like we just don’t have anything to give, and we can’t seem to receive what God has for us. This is what the Lord said to the people of Israel when they were feeling barren and insignificant during their captivity:

“The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.” Isaiah 51:3

God sees our depleted souls and wants to sow his seeds of hope into our lives. What we see as barrenness, God sees as fertile ground. He invites us to drink from His living water (John 7:37-39). He invites us to allow His light to shine in our hearts. Why not take time to meditate on His Word that gives light (Psalm 119:130)? To sit at His feet so that He can give you water from the spring of the water of life without cost (Revelation 21:6-8)? When you do this, He will impart life to your depleted soul so that you can be filled with His hope that will produce joy and gladness so that you can bloom again.

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130 

Reflection:

Are you feeling so exhausted that you can’t receive what God wants to give you? Why not sit at his feet and trust Him to fill you up again?

Prayer: 

Thank You, Lord, that what I see as barrenness, You see as fertile ground. Help me to be receptive to the seeds of hope you want to plant in my life. As I come now to sit at Your feet, fill me with Your living water. Let Your light shine in my soul. In Jesus’ name, amen.