Desert Seasons Are Real
Have you ever found yourself in a dry place—or a place of uncertainty—not physically, but spiritually, emotionally, or mentally? A place where you questioned everything: the timing, your value, your purpose, your future? I’ve been there. In fact, I was settled in that place for a season, never imagining that God could bring me water in the desert.
As hard as it may have been to believe, I didn’t get to that place by accident. I arrived there by what I now know to be God’s divine orchestration.
After having to make a hard decision to abandon a career I loved, God told me I had to step away. I wanted to fight it—to resist it. I would have NEVER planned this type of exit, especially not without a promotion, another opportunity, or some strategic plan. But that’s what I was used to believing—that some kinda way I had some influence. God said, “Leave it and shift your focus.” Ahead, there was something more important–my family and . . . ME. I obliged, but I had no plan, nor a thought of a possible plan. I wasn’t sure what would come next. The career I had poured myself into had become part of my identity. And once I walked away, I felt stripped, uncertain, and vulnerable.
But in the middle of that desert season, God began to provide water.
When Obedience Leads You Into the Unknown
The first thing God gave me in that season wasn’t another job or financial breakthrough but rather . . . stillness, time, and better physical health. That year, perimenopause had me in a chokehold. Sitting from one meeting to the next had me sedentary more often than not. My military-inflicted ailments were starting to present themselves more chronically. Then, to top it off, I had my third miscarriage. Though I appeared to be maintaining on the outside, I was perishing on the inside.
As I began to get intentional about my physical health, God turned me back to writing to focus on my mental health. Writing became a lifeline. What started as journaling my way through pain and questions became the foundation of books, devotionals, and a ministry I never imagined.
That was the water. It didn’t come in the form I expected, but it was just what I needed to survive—and eventually, thrive. I had to learn that God’s provision doesn’t always look like opportunity. Sometimes it looks like a notebook and a quiet room. Sometimes it looks like a whisper of encouragement to trust Him and hang in there.
You see, we often think we’ll recognize God’s hand easily. But when you’re in survival mode, you can miss the very stream He’s trying to lead you to.
If He brings you water in the desert, drink it.
Discovering God’s Water in Desert Places
Drinking the water God provides takes obedience and trust. When you feel unsure, it can be hard to accept what He’s offering because it might not feel like enough. But obedience in the desert is often where destiny is unlocked.
Though at times I didn’t feel qualified to move forward, and didn’t feel ready–I obeyed. I leaned into writing. I started this blog and began to tell my own truths and journey experiences. As I often tell the aspiring authors I consult, “The story that broke you may be the story that builds someone else up. Don’t hide your words away—release them.” I can share that because that’s what I had to do.
Pouring Water in the Desert for Others
I spoke to women like me who needed to be reminded that they still had purpose. And quickly it seemed that God began to multiply the work.
From the blogs, I began publishing books, speaking, inspiring children, and helping others find their voices similarly. It amazed me that women found healing through my testimony. But I’ll be honest, I still wrestled. Even after numerous successes, I wasn’t sure how long this journey would sustain me or what direction it would take. Then, in 2024, there came a season where the fog was heavy. To have a clear mind seemed impossible. Others were believing in me and were happy for my accomplishments, but I was unhappy. I knew it wouldn’t make sense to people—how I could seem to be doing so well, yet feel emotionally drained, neglected, and unfulfilled. So, I didn’t speak of it. After a very candid conversation with my husband, we decided it was best that I go to therapy and take a long pause from everything.
Therapy was good for me. It helped me recognize some hard truths—about myself, my natural responses, and even my relationships—things I had never really considered problematic before. Acknowledging them allowed me to make real progress, and eventually, the fog lifted. I began thinking about my future self with clarity and intention. By 2025, things started to align, and new successes followed. I had created a focused plan for the year, and I believed that, if followed with purpose, it would continue to produce positive results.
The Call That Tested My Obedience
One weekend, in Savannah, Georgia, while supporting another author, someone came and spoke a prophetic word over me: “God is about to elevate you in a way you didn’t expect. He’s been preparing you for it—so when it comes, don’t be afraid.”
Ten days later, the phone rang.
What came next—the possibility of working in a position I had desired years prior—wasn’t something I was chasing. Moreover, I was trying to be obedient to the place God had me in. My thought was that He had removed me from this realm. So, I had already surrendered that dream and made my peace with it. Not because it wasn’t something I had thoughts of, but because I didn’t want to move outside of God’s will for me. Plus, past trauma . . . it will make you question everything—your worth, readiness, as well as your abilities and qualifications.
The truth is, DESIRE and DOUBT can coexist.
I still wanted it deep down, but I was afraid of wanting something God might not will for me anymore. So I chose peace with His last instruction and committed to staying where He had positioned me—trusting that obedience was still my assignment.
Returning to What I Once Let Go
When this opportunity surfaced, I won’t lie—I was prepared to decline it. Not because it wasn’t appealing, but because God had stopped that path so abruptly in those years prior. I couldn’t imagine He’d be leading me back in that direction, so I didn’t want to make a hasty or pretentious move. Understand—I trust and fear God wholeheartedly. This year, He’s been both plentiful and gracious with His blessings. I’ve been obedient to His leading, and things have begun to spring forth. Could this opportunity be a decoy? If so, I didn’t want it. At least, I don’t think I did.
So, I pondered. Prayed. Fasted. I talked to my husband and my parents. I wasn’t looking to reopen an old door. Besides, I had learned to love the space I was in and how God was using me there. But I also didn’t want to miss Him and make any misinterpretation. I wanted a Word of confirmation.
An Extravagant God Deserves an Extravagant Praise
It was in the middle of my processing that I had a conversation with my aunt. She told me about a sermon she was preparing on extravagant praise, drawn from the story of the woman with the alabaster box (Luke 7:37-38). The woman didn’t hold anything back — she poured out her most expensive possession at Jesus’ feet and worshiped Him with everything she had.
My aunt explained that so many of us miss the opportunity to give God extravagant praise because we’re trying to act unbothered or casual about blessings we’ve secretly begged God for. But when you serve an INCREDIBLE God, He requires an INCREDIBLE praise.
She went on to share how the commentary she was reading described how all of nature praises God, even in the desert. Even in that vast, dry place, God sustains them by providing specific nourishment. The animals in that seemingly barren land cross miles of nothingness until they come upon a watering hole. Once at the water, they worship God by doing the only logical thing — THEY DRINK IT!
In that moment, I knew God was speaking to me:
“I’ve allowed you sustainment in the wilderness. And now I’m bringing you the water. Your response? Drink it.”
After that conversation, I began to embrace the possibilities that await me in this new season. I drank the water. And from here, I encourage others to recognize and do the same.
Reset. Repurpose. Restore.
Looking back, I can now identify what God did in my life.
He RESET my rhythm. He REPURPOSED my pain, and He RESTORED my confidence and vision—not just to produce, but to believe for new things. For me, the path I had surrendered came full circle—bringing me back to a place I once knew as familiar, but with new eyes and new grace.
I’ll be returning to the field of child advocacy — not only as someone with previous professional experience, but as someone who has lived the reality. My personal journey as an adoptive parent (and all that comes with that) has given me a perspective that deepens my passion and equips me to serve in a new, transformative way.
Additionally, this next chapter again places me in a senior leadership role — this time at a new level — and I don’t take it lightly. This elevation is not a reward for surviving the desert, but a response to trusting God through it. Much like Abraham, it’s confirmation that walking in obedience brings you into alignment with what He always intended.
Truthfully, I thought my desert season was a dead end. But in actuality, it was a divine setup. What felt like punishment was preparation. And what looked like the valley was the divine path to the victory at the table God had been preparing all along.
Be Encouraged!
I want to encourage you today: If you’re in the desert or a place of unfamiliarity, don’t dismiss or mistake the water God is sending. It may look different. It may feel foreign compared to where you’ve been and what you’re used to. But know that it is enough.
Drink it in obedience.
Drink it in faith.
Drink it even when the uncertainty for what’s ahead scares you.
Trust that God is faithful. He will not leave you. And He will not forsake His purpose in you.
Some new things are on the horizon. Remember, your valley has lights. And your table? It’s already being prepared.
“Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.” ~Isaiah 43:19
Always here to bring a little SUNSHINE!
~Dawn
Further Reflection
Where might God already be making a way for you — even if you can’t fully see it?
Friend, if you’ve been holding your breath waiting for permission to believe or trust again—this is it. If you’re still wondering whether your desert season has a purpose — it does. And if you’re asking whether you’re qualified for the promise God is leading you into — you are.
Hebrews 11:8 (NIV):
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
I relate deeply to Abraham’s journey of faith. In my former season, I was asked to move forward without the specifics. No mapped-out plan. No guaranteed result. Just a command from God: It’s time to go.
That kind of faith requires that you not wait for the full picture before saying yes. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us to:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
But here’s something I’ve come to understand: Surrender and obedience are the pinnacles of faith.
Notice I didn’t say submission.
Submission is what you do when you’re overruled — when you comply even though you don’t agree. It’s often done externally, with some inner resistance.
Surrender, however, is internal. It’s intentional. It’s saying, “Lord, I trust You. Even when it’s unclear. Even when it’s hard.”
That kind of faith is what moves mountains. And that kind of surrender is what makes room for miracles.
Testify
So what about you? Are you in the desert right now? Has God placed water in front of you, and you’re still deciding whether to trust it?
This might be your moment to say yes. To drink the water and believe again.
Comment below and share how you’re trusting or have previously trusted God in your own desert season.
Want more encouragement like this?
If this message blessed you, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with a sister in the wilderness. Leave a comment and let us know where you’re trusting God for water in your life. And if you’re not already connected, subscribe at www.DawnOfANewDay365.com for more encouragement, updates, and spiritual inspiration just like this. Let’s walk into our new season together.
#StreamsInTheDesert #ResetRepurposeRestore #FaithOverFear #NewSeason #DawnOfANewDay365
Discover more from Dawn of a New Day 365
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
