Drought: An Instrument of Repentance?

643 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 21:1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." Well, what do we have hear? A famine in the land? No rain for three years? That's called a drought. After three years, David finally decides, “OK Lord, what's going on here?” And the Lord answered him, “it's because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” Let's talk today about droughts. Droughts happen, but it takes people of faith to make the connection to droughts and God's attempt to get our attention. Perhaps the worst drought the U. S. experienced occurred during the years that are now called the “dust bowl” which occurred in three waves in the 1930's. But other droughts have occurred since then. There was the drought of 1949-1951, affecting the Southwestern portion of the U.S. Then there was the drought in the northeastern portion of the states from 1962-1966. The costliest drought in U.S. History occurred from 1987-1989. Right now, as I write this, 60% of the United States has been experiencing drought conditions for three years. This drought is the worst in our nation since the 1950's. Did you notice that these droughts either come in threes or are at or about three years in duration? Hmmmmm. Is God trying to get our attention? In David's day, people didn't look to blame the drought on things like land mismanagement, and global warming, and they didn't have the technology to cope with the drought like we do today. So they looked to God! What a pity we don't do the same. Because as we rely on the self-sufficiency of man, we forget God. Even in the church we overlook the fact that a drought could be a tool of God to call us to repentance. We forget scripture like De 11:13,14 which says, “'And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 'then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. Some droughts may be explained away by science, but I think it's time for believers to consider the possibility that they are attention-getters sent to us by God.