March 10, 2013

Jeremiah 14:9
Why should you be like someone who is helpless, like a champion who cannot save anyone?  You are indeed with us, and we belong to you.  Do not abandon us!

Jeremiah . . . Poor Jeremiah!  The guy has been through a lot.  I'm sure being called to be a prophet as a youth in Old Testament times was not an easy thing to come to terms with.  But, Jeremiah rose to the occasion with the help of God and His promise to protect him.  God sends Jeremiah to tell Israel that they need to change their ways and repent; they are not living in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  His message was not well received, his own people turned against him, and he was persecuted.

Jeremiah can't seem to catch a break.  In Chapter 14:1-9, the Lord and Jeremiah are talking about the drought which Judah is experiencing.  A drought so severe that animals are abandoning their young, and even the nobles cannot find a sip of water.  Jeremiah pleads with God.  He knows they are sinners who have turned away from God, but he begs for help, to not be abandoned.

With as much rain as we've had lately, it's hard to imagine a drought as harsh as the one Judah was experiencing.  But, we all experience droughts in life.  What kind of drought are you  going through?  Maybe, it is a drought of love?  Or, a drought of rest?  Financial drought?  Emotional?  Spiritual?  A drought of work?  Or, a drought of purpose?

For me, it is a drought of purpose.  For over ten years, I have wanted to be an equine-assisted psychotherapist, working with horses to help people heal emotionally.  I had a dream, a plan.  I did everything they tell you to do - set goals, worked hard, did well in school, got a master's degree, and became a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor.  Then, I worked for a year in private practice doing my "dream" job, developing and building an equine-assisted psychotherapy program.  During that year, I again did everything I was supposed to - I took additional training, sought supervision, prayed, and did some soul searching.  I tried to make professional counseling the career I'd always dreamed of.  Finally, I came to the realization that it just wasn't the right fit for me.

And now, I'm in the middle of a drought . . . I have a shortage of purpose or, rather, a shortage of knowledge of what my purpose is.  If this purpose that I always envisioned for myself isn't right, then what is?  I don't have the answer yet, but I'm hopeful!  I know that God has a plan for me.  And, I will pray to the Lord just as Jeremiah did, "You are indeed with (me), and (I) belong to you.  Do not abandon (me)!" And, I know that my God is with me always.  He will not abandon me.

Whatever drought you may be experiencing during this Lenten season, take the time to pray about it.  Know that God is with you.  You are a child of God.  He is your Savior and Redeemer.  He will not abandon you!

~Morgan Patrick

Readings

Jeremiah 14:1-9, 17-22

Psalms 66, 67 or 19, 46

Galatians 4:21-5:3

Mark 8:11-21