Staying Rooted in Times of Drought

I live in Wichita, Kansas, and we are experiencing severe drought. The crops and trees are looking stressed. On my drive to work I pass by miles of farmland, and normally I would delight in the beautiful crops and blooming trees. This year it is dry, dusty and discouraging.

I have not only observed the effects of droughts on the landscape but I have also experienced dryness in my soul –  my spiritual landscape. Many prayers have gone unanswered (at least in my mind) and certain situations have exacerbated the sense of confusion, frustration, and aloneness I feel. In the car ride to work, the external signs of drought echo my internal emotional state of dryness.

Recently, I preached a sermon on Psalm 1 (see below) which talks about trees being planted and rooted by streams of water, and their leaves stay green. Jeremiah ( Chapter 17 – see below) uses this imagery to remind God’s people that trees which are planted by water stay green, even in drought. The metaphor refers to belief and trust in God when times are good and when times are bad. With my own feelings of dryness while preparing to preach this sermon, I researched trees to see what they could teach me about surviving drought.

I found that trees absolutely do get stressed in drought, but they don’t die from lack of water; rather, they die from secondary issues of pest infestation and environmental toxins. Less water in the roots means less possibility of glucose production from carbon dioxide, minerals, and oxygen, resulting in dry leaves, unhealthy fruit, and fragile branches. However, trees have deep root systems that share water and nutrients with each other. The drought tolerant trees share water with less drought tolerant trees, therefore increasing the likelihood of vulnerable trees surviving a drought because they are not as affected by pests and toxins.

I got to thinking about the tree root system and how they sustain each other. As humans we are similar to trees in our need for oxygen, water, nutrients, and glucose for survival and energy. It has not escaped my notice that when I feel myself in a spiritual drought, my energy drops significantly and my motivation decreases exponentially. The study of trees reminded me of our human need for root connection for survival. When I am in a drought, I need to depend on “water” from someone else to sustain me and give me strength for the next day. Words of support, encouragement, empathy, concern, or validation all provide hope that I can survive the drought I’m feeling. By feeling someone’s support, I am less susceptible to “secondary issues” that might threaten to tank me when already feeling dry: depression, hopelessness, despair. I need others to supply some sort of hope when I can’t feel it myself.

Drought will come to all of us at some point, whether it’s career, relationships, world events, family, health, or something else. The question is, how can we stay interconnected in those moments so that we stay protected from secondary “emotional” pests and toxins? Is it a phone call to a friend, a text reaching out for help, seeking outside wisdom, speaking honestly with God about our raw emotions, writing in a journal, creating and sharing art or music, running a race, walking in nature? What do you need to tolerate times of spiritual dryness? It will be different for each of us, but becoming aware of it is necessary so that we can proactively seek it when needed. For me, it’s a deep conversation with a friend and then a walk in nature to process. This keeps me rooted.

Staying interconnected is nature’s way of surviving during times of dryness. I believe this speaks to us as human beings; we also need to stay interconnected. Your faith and trust in the goodness of people, the earth, and God will bolster me when I’m exhausted, weak, and dry. And someday it will be my turn to do the same for you. 

The Psalmist and the Prophet both advise us to keep our roots deep in the water of trust in God to stay green during drought. Easier said than done at times. And when we feel we can’t keep our roots in the water on our own, let’s turn to each other and share the water – let’s share faith, trust, and hope with each other and on behalf of the other when we are dry and thirsty.

Psalm 1: “Oh, the joys of those who do not

    follow the advice of the wicked,

    or stand around with sinners,

    or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,

    meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

    bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

    and they prosper in all they do. (NLT)

Jeremiah 17: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord

    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

    with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

    or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

    and they never stop producing fruit. (NLT)