Warning- this article’s going to be a bit of a downer, so get your Debby Downer jokes out of the way now. Despite this, I promise there will be a redemptive conclusion.

I’ve realized in the past couple of weeks that the issue I have been struggling with may be very similar to an issue many other people may be dealing with themselves, so I thought it was time to address it publicly. I hope my reflections on this and what I feel I’ve learned can help someone who is going through a tough time themselves.

Having hope in the middle of a drought is one of the most difficult tasks you will ever undergo.

It’s hard, it requires multitudes of patience, it’s frustrating beyond belief, and it’s something that you have to try to find, time and time again, when things don’t work out how you thought they would. Finding and retaining hope when you’re stuck in a tunnel of doubt and can see no sign of light anywhere is such a painful struggle that no one wants to have any part in. And yet, it’s one that is required of us every day.

All of us have been through (or will go through) a season of life that can only be described as a drought- a place where it seems nothing good grows and there is nothing to look forward to. Life is no longer enjoyable but has become a chore. We find ourselves stuck in a place of emptiness, waiting on something or someone that may never come. We feel like our existence has become a waste of space, while we keep waiting for what seems like forever. Life becomes dull and void of meaning, as we hold on to this faint glimmer of hope in an empty land. A dry place. A drought.

In these times, it becomes almost impossible to be comforted by anything. You know that eventually, this dryness will end, but you have no clue when or how or for how long you will have to wait for your miracle. It’s maddening not knowing anything and this only makes the possibility of having hope in the midst of the drought even more unlikely.

You can try to find hope in what the future will bring you, but we never know what that will be. You can try to find hope in finally having your dream fulfilled, but what if it never comes to pass? You can try to find hope in your friends and family, but a support system will only take you so far. Finding a lasting hope in the world around you is next to impossible.

I have struggled so much within the past few weeks. This question of where to find hope for the day I get out of the drought has brought me so much confusion and anger. I’ve been bitter and resentful towards those around me who had life easy- the people who had flourishing relationships and better opportunities than I did and were given the things I wanted SO badly. And for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why I could not find the strength or patience to wait for my turn until I realized I was looking in the wrong place. I was looking for hope in a world that cannot offer it to me. I was looking for peace of mind in a place where peace is a foreign concept, and I realized that the world around me could not, and would not, give me any lasting solutions. The only place I can find the hope I so desperately yearn for is in the character and promises of God.

I know some people will read that and say, “But Deborah, I HAVE been trusting in God and I’m still stuck in this drought that I’ve been in longer than I can remember”. And not to answer a question with a question (although I’m going to), but do you remember when God let Moses and the Israelites just wander around in the desert for 40 years? And you’re upset because it’s been 3 months and you can’t find a boyfriend? *Completely throwing shade at myself here*. God’s timing is not our timing. This is something I wish wasn’t so aggravating to MY life plans, but it’s entirely true and something that I feel humans still don’t understand. Everything God does is for a purpose. He knows what He’s doing in your life- yes, even when you’ve been waiting on Him for a new job for years- just like He knew what He was doing in the lives of the Israelites when He let them meander around the desert for decades.

Over the summer, I heard a very good sermon that I didn’t realize would be so applicable to my life not long after. The pastor was speaking on this very thing- Israel wandering in the desert, being given only manna and water every day to last them for that day, essentially stuck in a drought. In this sermon, he brought up a point that truly rocked me to my core. He said, “Many of us expect God to give us just what we want, when we want it. We expect more than enough, when somedays, all God gives us is JUST enough”. That is so accurate, yet so NOT what we want to hear in the moment. There are days when we want an over-abundance from God and we want Him to shower us with blessings and He says, “No, today you get just enough”.

This may be what’s going on in the drought you and I are experiencing now. We want it to be our turn to receive the abundance from God- the new job, the new relationship, the new situation. We want to have abundance rained down on us and God is saying, “No, not yet. Today you get just enough. Tomorrow, we’ll see.” And this, this simple truth, is what our hope lies in- that today may not be our deliverance from the drought, just like it may not be tomorrow or the next day or the next year or the next 40 years, but God is faithful. God keeps His promises. God promises that if we choose to delight ourselves in Him, He WILL give us the desires of our heart. It may not be when we expect it or when we want it, but God’s timing is always better than our own.

These are my thoughts as I go through this next chapter of my life, in which I may or may not still be in a drought. Whatever God has in store for me, I’m going to keep holding on to this hope that my God is faithful and He will provide for me and He has a plan for my life greater than I can ever see. If you’re like me, still in a dry place when it comes to the desires of your heart, keep this hope close to your heart and remember this- God is ALWAYS faithful to provide.

“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’”. Revelation 7:16-17