By Iris Niven
Autumn came early this year and the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness has not been much in
evidence as the weather lurched from excessive heat to downpours of rain. Looking back at archive films
of the great drought of 1976 puts anxieties over water supplies into perspective. That year there were
queues at standpipes in some regions. Farmers worried about dry, cracked ground and low crop yields.
Reservoirs dropped to low levels and wild fires burned on the moors, whilst straw coloured fields
stretched to the far horizon. Yet, even as the nation scanned endlessly blue skies for even the smallest
cloud as a herald of change, we knew that eventually rain would come and the earth would be refreshed.
Psalm 65 was written as a song of thanksgiving after a season of drought, the cause of which was
attributed to the collective transgression of the people. When confession was made however, the imagery
turns to God riding a chariot to inspect the land with the intention of bringing blessing and relief as an
answer to prayer. God is not indifferent to human needs, and in compassion , He replenishes a thirsty
land so that it may become fruitful again. The landscape is alive again, adorned for harvest festival. The
sheep are on the hills, the olives grow fat on the trees, and fresh grain fills the valleys. All nature sings. It
is a story of consolation and restoration after a time of anxiety and sorrow. Prayer has caused hearts to
reach up and draw near to God once again.
There are times in life when we may feel that we are enduring a wilderness experience. Ahead lies a
wasteland of ideas, dusty vision and no revitalizing flow of love and creativity that transforms drought to
vitality.
In the Mojave Desert, the phenomenon of tumble weed returns in the dry season. These rolling plant
balls detach themselves from the roots and food supply to be carried on the wind wherever it blows.
Unlike trees that remain anchored to the water supply, they dry up becoming loose and unsustained.
Jeremiah ch.17 reminds us that a heart that turns away from God can become “like a bush in the
wasteland”, but “the one who trusts in the Lord … will be like a tree planted by the water.” God is life-
giving, our sustainer in a season of difficulty, or in a struggle to thrive and flourish.
Psalm 65:9 “You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled
with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.”
This same God cares for us too.
A prayer: “Heavenly Father, during difficult times in life, when I feel discouraged, help me to place my
hope and trust in You, and find peace and joy in the comfort of Your Presence.”