Dry riverbeds speak of the hard times in life when nothing seems to work, when relationships are broken, or health is failing. It can often lead to labour without passion. We saw this play out in the scripture, after the Israelites suffered seventy years of bondage in Babylon, they came back home only to be refugees in a desolate wilderness near Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 31:2)
In Isaiah 41:17, the scripture says “When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.” Has any area of your life been going through dryness? Whether waiting for a desired result, pursuing dreams that continue to elude you, or still waiting to meet the right person, it shall be a thing of the past.
God sees your wilderness and can provide water in the dry places of your life. Thoughts in the wilderness can be overwhelming, whispering, “You will always be lonely,” or “You will never escape this.” Yet, healing is possible. It brings release and victory. The great news is that God doesn’t need to remove you from your desert experience to bless you; He can bless you right in the middle of it. (Isaiah 43:18-19)
Resources, opportunities, health, and every good thing can bless you right where you are. Being ‘barren’ is not your identity; it’s about God redefining your situation. He transforms lifeless conditions into something vibrant with life. During dry times, hear God’s promise of rivers in the desert and fountains in barren lands. While blessings may not arrive immediately, trust that God has spoken them for you.
Blessings can spring from the most unlikely of situations. You could be going through medical battles and feel like giving up, but God can open a fountain in your valley. Maybe you are burdened by rejection in your career and people believing that it is “too late” for you. Just one chance, one phone call, or contract can make all the difference and cause you to flourish in the season of dryness.
The Creator knows that you can bring forth fruit in the midst of barrenness. Deserts are naturally dry and hot yet God is performing a wonder in your life that will defy natural expectations. Carry this with you as you walk through any desert of life: “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, declares the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 14:23). He pledged to turn desolate situations into thriving societies.
God will not abandon you, nor has He forsaken you. It may be dry in a certain area of your life, get ready for the water! Expect rivers, streams, and fountains of blessings from God. Relationships, breakthroughs, job offers, or even the laughter of a child are all part of the ways God can create rivers in your desolate place when you feel isolated.
For Moses, God broke natural laws by causing water to come out of the rock abundantly. (Exodus 17:6) He can keep you going in your dry season. It is easy to feel that ‘’I will never get over this challenge’’ when one is in low spirits, but that is not true. You need to hold on to God’s word concerning that area and change the situation with praise.
If you are thinking that nothing will ever change for your good, consider this other verse: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Develop a hunger for belief. Develop a hunger for optimistic expectation and remember that the desert is not the final chapter of your story. Feel the heat, feel the dryness, yet emphatically state that God will create streams in your dry land and fountains in your emptiness.
Desert rivers, at first, may not come to you as something possible. You may not see how life is going to spring back to you or what possibilities God is working out for you. Think about those people who have beaten terminal diagnoses from history and turned “nothing” into something. Yes, fountains can spring up in desolate places in favour of the most extreme kind and unanticipated.
I read a testimony about a man fighting with vocal cord cancer. He was informed by the doctors that after all the treatment is done, they will have to remove his vocal cords and speaking will not be possible for him then. For five years, he kept going through treatments with no positive results relying on prayers and strong faith. It was a dry season for him and he was about to lose his voice but he held onto God’s word.
Though he was desperate, he never lost hope. He knew God was in control. Three weeks after surgery, he could talk! Even the doctors were shocked; they removed 90% of his vocal cords. There was no medical reason for him to speak. God can make rivers flow in the desert and springs in the valley. You shall see His miraculous healing power, whether it is your health or your finances or your relationships.
REFRESHMENT FROM GOD!
You shall no longer dwell in dryness and thirst but shall be blessed, promoted, healed, and restored. Look at those words: rivers, fountains, streams, pools… All denote refreshment and speak of a new season that can be available. From lack to plenty; from labour to harvest; from bondage to liberty; from forsaken to befriended. Never carry the dry riverbed mentality but always believe that the Lord can make rivers flow in the desert.
You may find yourself in the valley but still thank Him because out of that desolate spot, a fountain will spring forth. He said He would open up rivers in high places and low places even the wastelands shall not be left out. Rivers can flow contrary to nature, in such places water by all accounts should not run there! But the Lord said He would raise rivers in high places, streams in desolate heights and water where it has never run before!
You may be prosperous and healthy in so many areas but some spots remain barren until His grace fills them. One may realise the presence of God in one area, but other spots that are equally barren need His attention. He decided that even high hills would become well-watered places, recognising that the water for those hills comes from heaven, high above the clouds, with unlimited potential for what God can do.
If you have stayed in dryness for long, praying and believing, be sure that the water is coming. Something unusual, something “impossible” will be seen: rivers going up the hill, for Isaiah says, “And opened rivers on the bare heights,” (Isaiah 41:18, ESV) The blessings have been made ready for you. He will open it so that out of channels of blessings, healings, and freedoms rivers may gush forth. There is a laid-up blessing by God for the righteous in His word
In the scripture, there was a time the armies of God’s people spent seven days in transit through the desert on their way to fight their enemies, and they found themselves without water. They took a longer route than usual and there was nothing there to drink for themselves or their animals.
The King of Israel said, “What shall we do? Has God brought us way out here only to let an enemy overpower us?” They were so disappointed in their situation, ‘Here we are in the wilderness, we have miscalculated and we do not have enough water for ourselves or our animals. ’And Jehoshaphat, King of Judah said, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here through whom we may inquire of the Lord?”
One of the servants of the king of Israel replied, “There is Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands.” When you are in such a place do not murmur like the king of Israel. Be like Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah and trust in God’s guidance. Go to God in prayer and seek godly counsel asking Him what He would have you do.
They consulted Elisha and he said, “Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water.” You can just imagine what they were thinking: “‘Come on, Elisha! How in the world are you going to have all this water and not one drop of rain? That doesn’t make any sense. Where in the world does it come from? Where’s the source?’”
Our God is the provider; He controls the universe. He may not do it in the way you always expected, or the way you always saw Him do it. God has a way to bring water not through the rain. He can make a river go up a mountain. The next morning, the men got up. They looked off in the distance. All this water was coming into the valley. It didn’t rain but water filled the valley as the man of God declared. (2 Kings 3:1-20)
Refuse to give up on God’s words. Whatever area in your life that you are experiencing dryness, it shall come to an end. Rivers, fountains and abundance shall spring forth. You shall fulfil the best God has for you in Jesus’ name.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”
