Jan. 23 devotional

Dr. Gary G. Kindley
Pastoral Counselor, Cathedral of Hope UCC, Dallas, TX
www.drgk.org

Scripture 
So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah. (I Kings 17:15-16)

Good Times in Drought Times
The story of the prophet, Elijah, and the widow who, with the help of God, supported each other during a three-year drought is a wonderful passage of scripture (See I Kings 17). It is a story of faith, interdependence, resurrection, and God's loving providence. The story also demonstrates that a drought – substitute the term "tough times"—need not be only bad but can be a time of good.

Drought times can be an opportunity to discover God at work, because (for a change) we are looking for God to be working. We hope that God will see us through our predicament and so we are more keenly aware of God's presence.

Drought times can be an opportunity to learn something from our difficulty, or through discomfort. We can choose to examine how we handle suffering, resentment, grief, failure, disappointment, despair, isolation, or waiting.

Drought times can be an opportunity to re-examine how we handle relationships and how we look at other people. What might we learn about ourselves from even the difficult people whom we encounter? Do we own our poor choices, negative traits, destructive habits, or self-centeredness that contribute to failed relationships or damaged friendships?

Drought times can be very revealing. Several years ago, during a season of drought, the water's edge of the Sea of Galilee receded to a record low. Archaeologists made a startling discovery buried in the mud—a fishing boat, much like the ones used by Jesus' disciples, dating from the same era. Using advanced restoration techniques, the boat has now been cleaned and preserved and is on display for tourists from around the world to examine. It was the "find of a lifetime," but would never have been revealed were it not for suffering a time of drought!

May we grow as Christian disciples in good times and bad, and discover that God's presence along our journey can make any time a good time to be both hopeful and alive.

Prayer 
Loving God, when the waterline is low and I see only mud, help me to look beyond and see the possibilities in times of drought and difficulty. Amen.