On Memorial Day I woke to rain pelting the windows.  A clash of thunder had me opening the curtains in my dining room.  My giant oak in the front yard thrashed in the wind.  The world looked gray through the wind-driven rain from heavy charcoal clouds.  Will this break the drought?  I half prayed and half thought:  If so, it will be a good Memorial Day.

The color gray is fitting right now when I remembered those who sacrificed all for America to be free.  Our losses over the last three months made this day even more poignant.  In Florida we are in the beginnings of a drought.  Yes, it is the dry season but conditions have worsened, especially on the West Coast.  The gray day is most welcome here.

How do I describe what I felt in the last three months of seclusion; “hibernation” wasn’t right… neither was “conspiracy.”  The descriptions did not fit.  The storm and Florida’s drought had me thinking.  Our world has suffered another kind of drought.

I cannot call it a drought of fear, because fear causes this drought.  Listening to those around me; I find everyone has a different drought in their lives right now.  It is different for every person I met.  The fuel of fear evaporates the opposite balance from your life until the river feeding your soul is dry.

Here is what I see in myself.  My drought is liberty.  The fear driving me is government control of the individual.  After March 2020 the news is rife with stories of the abuse of power by elected officials.  It scares me.  What happened to Americans?  Why did these Heroes fight and die for us?  These brave men and women fought for freedom from kings, classes, and world government control.  They protected our Constitution; our way of life.

What is your drought?  Is it peace, financial, connections, purpose, security, or health?  Where do you need God as we take back our lives?

I needed a bit of perspective on this painful rainy Memorial Day.  I flipped through scriptures and landed on Jeremiah Chapter 17:5-8*:

⁵ Thus says the Lord:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man

And makes flesh his strength,

Whose heart departs from the Lord.

⁶ For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,

And shall not see when good comes,

But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,

In a salt land which is not inhabited.

⁷ Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green,

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

God through the Prophet Jeremiah presents a contrast between trusting in man and trusting in the Lord.  Jeremiah does not distinguish between a good person and an evil person.  He describes the choice made in the heart of a person.  The choice is trust.

At first, I thought, of course, I put my trust in the Lord.  I’m good.  He will bless me.  He already has.  I was praising Him for all He has done for me lately.  Slowly I came back to Milly’s Realm and the daily chores.  For most of the day, I was still out of sorts.  While finishing my writing, I found my unease.  It is the question; do I trust God to handle everything?  I found the answer in my words here.  There is a bit of trust I held back.  Isn’t that such a human trait?  We hold back when we know it would be better to let go and let God.  I am ashamed to admit that I do not trust Him to bless me no matter who is in charge of my government.

During this debacle, I have trusted Him with most of my life.  He has blessed it.  He and I will discuss this latest twist.  I will soon be able to put all my trust in God.  Do you know why?  It’s like my mom says:  “The first step to solving the problem is finding out there is a problem.”  Now I know what is wrong!  I also know who can solve the puzzle.  When I put all my trust in God!  Then, my God takes it from there!

Here’s the formula in this passage.  Place your trust in God and He will bless you.  He will break the drought.  And in the year of drought we will be peaceful and continue to prosper.  I found He is my Liberty.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for all who gave their lives for our precious Country.  My soul is sure these prayer warriors continue to fight in the spirit for our freedom to speak of and worship You freely.  I am forever grateful.

Let’s honor our prayer warriors and their memories by facing fear and placing our trust in God.  Then we can join our prayers to theirs for our Country and break the drought!

In God We Trust!  Blessings,

Milly

*Jeremiah 17:5-8 is from the New King James Version