“The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:11

A Soul Satisfied in Drought

The following is a small portion of Charles Spurgeon’s A Happy Christian*:

“The worldling blesses God while He gives him plenty, but the Christian blesses Him when He smites him: he believes Him to be too wise to err and too good to be unkind; he trusts Him where he cannot trace Him, looks up to Him in the darkest hour, and believes that all is well. O Christian, if your heart is right, you will understand this spiritual satisfaction, and your soul will be satisfied in times of drought.”

Isaiah 58:11 is a beautiful promise, but it doesn’t just happen. Chapter 58 of Isaiah is titled “Fasting that Pleases God.” In it we’re called to seek God daily, delight to know His ways…be a nation filled with righteousness, one which doesn’t forsake the ordinances of justice (vs 2). The fast that pleases God in this chapter is to loose the bond of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free, share with the hungry, house the poor and clothe the naked (vs 6-7). When we do this, He promises our righteousness will go before us, and His glory will be our rear guard. We will call on the LORD and He will answer (vs 9).

So much is going wrong right now. There’s a massive “drought” in our country and the world. Sometimes I’m seeking God, blessing Him in the midst of things not going my way, and sometimes I’m behaving as if I’m of the world, not just in it.

There is also great opportunity for the Lord to shine through us, if we’ll let Him. This week I had more disappointment and spiritual battles piled on the rest of them from this year, and I didn’t handle it very well. My soul was anything but satisfied and my light certainly didn’t break forth like the morning (vs 8a). I caught myself and didn’t totally blow it but I definitely was not the watered garden Isaiah talks about.

The Lord made a way in the disappointment, but in doing so helped me see what really matters and then continued to teach me on Wednesday night as Pastor Rick quoted John Piper: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” I was gently convicted of looking for satisfaction in the world, which will never be enough. Instead I need to focus on the satisfaction that can only be found in Him. Can anyone relate?

Father God, help us to do our part: seek You daily, delight to know Your ways, help those less fortunate and then trust that You will indeed satisfy our souls in the midst of drought so that You may be glorified. Amen.

*Spurgeon, Charles. “The Spurgeon Center.” The Spurgeon Library, 22 June 2020, www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/a-happy-christian/.