in a dry land

The second son he named Ephraim and said,

"It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

Genesis 41:52

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O God, you are my God.

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

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These verses came to mind in connection with the passage about the vine and the branches in John 15. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (v. 5) It takes those times when everything other than Christ becomes dry land, for us to truly learn to seek after and become rooted in Christ alone; and it is only when we become firmly rooted in Christ alone that we can really bear fruit.

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Lord, the last few days I have lost sight of that. I have started to resent the loss of some of the other things I was rooted in; particularly, my own (literal) strength and abilities. Help me not to long for the things I have lost, but to long only for you. Help me to become rooted only in you. Help me not to become resentful or discouraged when you are working to make this prayer true in my life, and forgive me for the many times I do. In Jesus name, amen.

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Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

Psalm 84:5-7