For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope….when you pray I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

Once upon a time, and many years ago, a family was traveling through a vast desert, and though the desert displays its own kind of beauty, it appeared void of vegetation. Suddenly, the sound of thunder broke the silence, and rain began to fall- not sprinkles, but a very heavy downpour. The family took shelter at a roadside station until the rain stopped. As they departed their shelter, a scene of immeasurable beauty surrounded them. Every cactus that had first appeared nearly depleted of water was suddenly alive with the colors of flowers. The incredible scene of beauty that surrounded the family was nothing short of a miracle.

No, this isn’t a fairytale. I was part of that family on a hot, dusty road in Arizona that day, and it was many years ago, BK, I like to call it, meaning “before Ken.” I mark the events in my life as before or after Ken. We stopped for gas at one of the vastly separated stations along the way, and the owner was convinced we’d brought the rain along with us from Missouri, and he wanted us to stay a while. He hadn’t seen a drop of moisture for nearly a year. We filled the car with gas and visited with the friendly owner inside the station until the weather settled. And as we walked out the door, we were astonished at the transformation of that desert. Where once there had been only sand and the occasional boulder, there was color as far as the eye could see. Insects were buzzing, lizards were slithering through puddles, birds flitted from flower to flower in search of nectar. Anything living in that dry land had to make haste and partake of the bounty before it disappeared again.

We were blessed that day to witness the beauty of color covering a very barren and seemingly empty land for just an instant in time. I carry that memory in my heart. That trip was also quite a lesson in the power and creativity of our God. Only He could paint a canvas of that magnitude.

….this place is not empty. It was overflowing with Him. I breathed deep.

Whispered thanks. Buck Storm, Pray a Word a day

There are dry patches in our lives that resemble desert wastelands…times when nothing seems to be going right. The trials we face often leave us feeling parched and thirsty. The thing I’m learning, albeit at a turtle’s pace, is that even in life’s deserts there is beauty. It’s all around us; in a sunrise at the start of a brand new day filled with possibilities, or the sunset once the day is finished and it’s time to rest. It’s in the things that crawl and the things that fly; it’s in the earth and the sky and, of course, flowers. When we really look at any desert, we will find beauty. After all, God made it, and He doesn’t make mistakes. And best of all, He’s always with us, especially in the deserts.

Sometimes the desert isn’t a trial at all. It’s simply a moment to be still and be loved. Buck Storm, Pray a Word a day

When I experience deserts in my faith—times when it feels my well is dry; it may happen in the midst of a stressful situation, as we have now with our home still partially unusable because of the damage from our leaking water heater…think back nearly three weeks. A financial glitch could cause a faith drought as well, or a job loss. And the passing of a loved one is probably the most trying desert of all. In our desperation, we may shout at God or doubt His Word, or wonder how He could let such a thing happen. Prayer may then be the furthest thing from our minds… but prayer is always the answer to take us from dry patches to the Living Water.

Everyone experiences a dry period in their faith—a time when they feel uninspired

and unheard in prayer. It’s important to realize that everyone has them,

and the way out . . . is to pray anyway. Reach out to God and

ask him to heal the deserts in your spiritual life.

365 Days of Prayer: Simple Reflections to Connect You to God (Guideposts)