Jeremiah 14:1-9

1 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts.
2 “Judah mourns,
And her gates languish;
They mourn for the land,
And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3 Their nobles have sent their lads for water;
They went to the cisterns and found no water.
They returned with their vessels empty;
They were ashamed and confounded
And covered their heads.
4 Because the ground is parched,
For there was no rain in the land,
The plowmen were ashamed;
They covered their heads.
5 Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field,
But left because there was no grass.
6 And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights;
They sniffed at the wind like jackals;
Their eyes failed because there was no grass.”
7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us,
Do it for Your name’s sake;
For our backslidings are many,
We have sinned against You.
8 O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble,
Why should You be like a stranger in the land,
And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why should You be like a man astonished,
Like a mighty one who cannot save?
Yet You, O LORD, are in our midst,
And we are called by Your name;
Do not leave us!
Jeremiah 14:1-9 NKJV

Drought is devastating to any land and especially so to an agricultural based society. Evidently this was a very serious drought as people searched for water and found none. Crops withered and died as the rains did not come. The animals, both domestic and wild, suffered from the lack of food and water. It can be the same with us when we have a lack of God's word in our lives. When we wander away from God and don't commune with Him through His word and through prayer, we create a drought in our lives that is spiritually comparable to the lack of water in a farming community. The fruit that should be produced in our lives dries and withers and eventually we will die spiritually if we don't allow God's word and Spirit to come back into our hearts.
Jeremiah's prayer in verses 7-9 admits the sins of Judah, recognizes their only hope for restoration is the Lord, and calls upon Him to save them. The drought was both physical, in the lack of moisture, and spiritual, in the lack of communication with God. Jeremiah reminds God that the Jews are called by His name, and begs God not to leave them. God is still with them, but through their iniquity and the closing of their hearts to God's messages and love, the people are building walls between God and themselves. They are choosing, and they are choosing against God. The drought is another warning of what their lives will be like without God. Jeremiah sees their need is to come closer to God and allow Him to save them. Will the Jews allow God to work for them and give them the rain of His love they so desperately need?

Lord,
Help me today to allow You to water my soul with Your love. Help me to accept the gifts You desire to give me. Help me to accept the opportunities to serve You that You place before me today. Heal my spirit and forgive my sin. Do not leave me.