Dry Spells
Aramaki Rose Park, Itami, Japan, Author 663highland (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
Below is an excerpt from Barriers by Ann Aschauer who blogs at Seeking Divine Perspective https://seekingdivineperspective.com.
Barriers examines prayer from a biblical perspective. I recommend the book to anyone who wants a closer relationship with God.
“…when roses…[are] watered just a little every day, their roots spread out just under the surface of the ground. Then when winter …[comes] and the top soil…[freezes], the roots …[freeze] with it and the roses…[die]. However beautiful they were during the warm weather, because their roots were shallow, they couldn’t survive the winter.
However…when roses are soaked heavily just once a week, the water sinks deep into the ground. Then when the weather gets hot and dry between waterings, the roses will stretch their roots down to where the water is. When winter comes and the top of the ground freezes, the roses’ roots remain safe deep underground, ready to send up new shoots in the spring.
In other words, the dry spells are what help the roses survive the winters.”
“The application to our lives is probably obvious…but I’ll state it anyway. If we were always given everything we wanted the moment we wanted it, if God spoon-fed us throughout our lives, if we never felt any need, we would be comfortable, contented, naive, weak, spoiled, and useless. It’s the ‘dry spells’ that require us to stretch our faith to levels we have never reached before. Anyone can believe in God when prayers are answered instantly…But God is honored most when we trust Him during the hard times, especially when trusting Him is counterintuitive and deliberate. As Jesus pointed out in His parable of the sower and the seeds, the faith of many dies out when trials come, because their roots don’t go deep enough to sustain them. (Mark 4: 16-17)
I can’t overemphasize that prayer is not a means to get us things we want, when we want them. It is a way to draw close to God, to grow our trust in Him, and to become more like Him. When the dry spells come — and they will — we can let them discourage us, or we can use those times to exercise faith and become stronger.”
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 
This is wonderful! I must buy Ann’s book.
Lately, my prayers have been answered in astonishing ways. Like Ann said, it’s easy to believe in God when that happens. But while I’ve been rejoicing and thanking God for these miracles, what keeps coming to my mind is: “Would I still be grateful and praising and trusting God, if the answer to my prayers were ‘No’ or ‘Not now’?
Habakkuk 3:17-19 keeps coming to my mind, along with this question. Here it is in the Amplified Version of the Bible, as found on BibleGateway (dot) com:
Habakkuk 3:17-19 Amplified Bible (AMP)
17
Though the fig tree does not blossom
And there is no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive fails
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock is cut off from the fold
And there are no cattle in the stalls,
18
Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord;
I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!
19
The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army];
He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet
And makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my [a] high places [of challenge and responsibility].
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Footnotes:
[a] Habakkuk 3:19 The troubled times of life may actually be the “high places” of spiritual growth for the believer who remains stable when tested by God.
….So, I have determined that the next time my prayers don’t get answered the way I want, and my life situation isn’t going my way, I will still choose to rejoice in the Lord!
I love that particular passage from Habakkuk. It is both beautiful and strengthening. Like you, I love the miracles God works in our lives. The greatest of these for me has been His sustaining power. I would not be here without Him. ❤
Yes, Linda! – the operative word being “CHOOSE.” It’s a choice based on fact, not feeling.
I too love the Habakkuk passage. I have numerous images in mind of the “belt of Truth,” but my favorite is the belt worn by a mountain climber. It attaches him (her) to the Person at the top, the One encouraging us to climb higher, where the air is clean, the view is broader, and fewer people are there to distract us. We may slip and stumble, but we won’t backslide to the bottom and have to start over, and we won’t tumble to our death. We can simply get back up where we fell and continue our climb until we get to the top. (Also from “BARRIERS”)
I’m honored that you want to read my book. It’s available on Amazon, but if you’d like to get a copy directly from me, let me know, and I can sign it for you. And for one of my favorite fellow bloggers, I’ll pay the postage. 😉
Anna, thanks for sharing this. It really fits where He has me during this season in my life. So many dry times. I must really have deep roots! :-p The things which are not seen by men are precious to Him, dear sister.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!’ or `There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:20-21, RSV)
I am so glad this post spoke to you. 🙂 It always warms my heart to hear from you, Michael.
Excellent blog article, Anna! ⭐ This blog has been God-inspired, no doubt about this!!!
I can take very little credit, since Ann Aschauer wrote the book (LOL)!
But YOU published THIS in God’s timing, Anna. 🙂
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2: 10). 🙂
Amen to that! 🙂
And that quote from Ephesians was timely as well, Anna. Thanks ❤
Great post Anna!
Very timely message that I needed to read..
I also love the passage from Habakkuk, God is our strength!
❤
Being a person who has lost far too may roses to the bitter cold of Ohio winters, this really spoke to me. Such an appropriate analogy Anna! We’re it not for those deep roots connecting me with my Savior, I too would have long ago been “frozen out”.
Well said, Ron. I’m glad you liked the post. 🙂 By the way, I love roses.
Thanks so much for reposting this, Anna.
Would you believe I found it in my spam folder??? ):-( I guess I’ll have to check my in box AND my spam folder from now on.
Blessings!
My pleasure. I have, also, shared your book w/ others off-line, Ann. Blessings, A.
Blessings to you, too, Anna. And thanks for sharing the book. I am praying that it will help many, many people to pray more effectively.
What a beautiful thought springing from watering of roses … !!!
Thanks, Rambling Rose. My rose garden was half my life, it seemed, for a few years. I would go out daily and weed, fertilize, prune, water, and of course cut them and share them. God spoke to me often as I was engaged in my “labor of love.”
Truth. But, I’m glad deep waterings come regularly, as well! 🙂 God is good.
Me, too!
“Deep waterings” come as often as we need them – God knows best. 😉
Beautiful analogy!