O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is…Psalm 63:1

When we go through famines, as we have been discussing in the Desperate Housecries Bible study, the natural instinct is to run away!  We see this in the Bible when people faced famine, they often moved their families.  What about the other famines we face in life?  Right now, we are dwelling in a dry and thirsty land called deployment.  I’m about to go to a cold, empty bed, and my dear husband is on the other side of the globe in a hostile land with few comforts from home.  We try to talk often and write to each other via e-mail, but it’s not the same.  Since running away isn’t an option, what are we to do in times of famine, when our souls are parched.

The longings of our soul will determine our reactions to famine.  Our desires motivate us to action.  If we are hungry, we long for nourishment and take action – get a snack.  When we are lonely, we long for companionship and take action – call on a friend.  God’s Word shows us that He knows our every need and provides for us abundantly.  Notice he knows our needs, not our whims, likes or preferences.  He doesn’t follow our facebook “likes” list, but he is your fan.  He knows our inmost being because he created it!

It seems so challenging it is in our modern era of convenience and instant gratification to wait upon the Lord.  We must learn to be at rest in the Lord by practicing putting our trust in Him completely.  His timing is always perfect.

He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. -Habakkuk 3:6

Is the longing of your soul for the Lord?  This reminds me of a beautiful, old hymn:  “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”  When we focus our attention on Him, the troubles of our famines fade in the distance, and we have peace for today and hope for tomorrow.