God has called us to persevere

Several years ago I had the pleasure to travel to Arizona while my friends here in Iowa battled bitter cold and mounds of snow.

I had never been to the deserts of Arizona but had always wanted to.

When I landed in Mesa, the dry heat was breathtaking. My group traveled to our hotel and we had a few hours to spend so we decided to go into the desert.

Our guide was a native of the state and he took us to the most barren place he could find. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as we walked through the landscape.

The sun was relentless and I remember thinking, “How could anything ever survive or even grow here?”

For as far as the eye could see, there was sand and brush. With the exception of a few lizards and the sound of a couple of birds, there was nothing.

It was at that moment that our guide came and told us we needed to get into the car. He told us that rain was coming and we needed to get to a safe place. When he said rain was coming he was not joking.

It poured buckets and buckets and as fast as it started, it was over. After the rain, our guide said we were going to go back to the same place because he wanted to show us something amazing.

We made the trek back to where we were and to my surprise I saw splashes of color and the desert floor was actually teeming with activity.

I want to share this story with you today to challenge a perspective the world tries to place on us.

Barrenness is not a curse. There are times when, yes, barrenness is a symptom of a curse, but there is a passage in the book of Isaiah that brings an entirely new perspective to this word.

Isaiah 54:1: “Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; for the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the married women.” Says the Lord.

Many Christians find themselves in barren places in their lives and assume that because of their lack of instant fruit, God has somehow cursed them for some mistake they have made. Just like the desert in Arizona, there is something happening but it is waiting underneath the soil.

At just the right moment, the rain will come and fruit will burst forth. Barren places increase our dependency on our Guide. The Lord Jesus Christ is our guide and our help. He also has sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and our help.

Finding ourselves in the barren place is never an enjoyable place. It is a place that we want to be out of. We want to see the results of our effort.

Scripture has many women mentioned who were barren and God suddenly opened up their womb.

In each occasion where a barren womb was open, the woman mentioned had resigned herself to being barren but longed to do more. Then, God brought forth the fruit of the faithfulness during the barren time.

I would put it to you that God still is opening barren places so that fruit can form. Those dreams that you had, those opportunities you though were closed, the desires that you thought you had somehow disqualified yourself from.

As you find yourself in the barren places, let worship be how you lead. Praise the Lord even in the times of the barrenness. You are not praising him for the barrenness but rather in the barrenness. Seek the rain and have faith it is on the way.

God’s timing is never early or late. His timing is also not our timing, but His timing is perfect.

If God gave us what we wanted when we wanted it, we would squander what was given. We might think we wouldn’t but ultimately we would.

James 1:17 says that “Every good and perfect gift comes from above …”

Perfection takes time, should the Lord rush something or give something too quickly, it would be less than perfect. That is against his nature.

So, we patiently wait. Many can testify of the miracle that has occurred in the time of waiting. Waiting is frustrating, however waiting produces something in us.

One final thought. God has called us to persevere.

James 1 puts it this way: “Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Your barren time is coming to an end if you will remain faithful and listen to the voice of the Lord and obey it.

There is life underneath the soil that you cannot see. The roots have to grow so the fruit can flourish in the midst of the heat of the desert place. Do not give up.