Barren Times - Or . . . ?

The desert waits -
ready for those who come,
who come obedient for the Spirit's leading;
or who are driven,
because they will not come any other way.

The desert always waits,
ready to let us know who we are -
the place of self-discovery.

And whilst we fear, and rightly,
the loneliness and emptiness and harshness,
we forget the angels,
whom we cannot see for blindness,
but who come when God decides
that we need their help;
when we are ready
for what they can give us.

                      - Ruth Burgess, Bread of Tomorrow