In our walk with God, getting to a place of spiritual dryness can seem so unfair. You devote your time to reading your Bible, praying daily, and going to church. And yet, you feel like you fell into dry parched land. How did you get here and what can you do when you feel spiritually dry?
How Did We Get Here?
We can go about our daily life and do all the things we’re used to doing. We can say our prayers before eating and bedtime. And we can say a blessing over others and say “praise God” as we greet others in the church. But sometimes, we can go through the motions when our heart is elsewhere. We can do all the things we’re used to doing and speaking the same things we’ve been saying due to habit. The world can draw us into numbness. Or push us into a wall of indifference.
We can be left wondering why we’re not inspired by last week’s message. Or why that praise and worship song doesn’t sound the same. We can feel burned out in our physical life that carries into our spiritual life. Whatever the cause that drove us to get there, to feel spiritually dry can be a very real feeling. It can leave you feeling “off” and even frustrated. So here are some things we can do.
Prayer For A Heart Check
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? - Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)
The world tends to tell us to follow our hearts in the things we pursue. But the heart is deceitful and self-serving. When we feel spiritually dry, we need to have an honest heart check. What is getting in the way? What have we allowed in our life that has become too important or too distracting? Life happens with many things demanding our attention from our families, jobs, social circles, social media, and so on. But we’re never meant to have our spiritual life be one of convenience when we have time.
When we feel spiritually dry, we need to treat it as if we feel physically dry. We need to water it right away. And to do that, we need to go beyond our “spiritual routine” of doing the same. That can mean different things for different people. Here are some things to consider adding or changing up to our status quo.
- Read a Bible commentary along with your daily Bible reading.
- Listen to a Christian podcast.
- Read a book.
- Look for God in His creation like nature, children, and people.
These are suggestions that you may prayerfully do. There is no particular formula to save you from your spiritual dryness because it is your heart that the Father looks at. The good news though is that He promises that you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
Listen For A Whisper
One of the most profound stories in the Old Testament about hearing from God is found in 1 King 19. The prophet Elijah is running away from King Ahab and his evil queen Jezebel. Elijah has gotten to a place of fear, frustration, and exhaustion to the point that he prayed he might die (1 King 19: 4). The Lord told him that he will be passing by and this is what we find.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. - 1 Kings 19: 11-12 (NIV)
Sometimes, when we look for God to solve our problems, including our spiritual dryness, we expect and look for something loud and dramatic. We’re waiting for a powerful wind, an earthquake, or a fire to leave us mesmerized and re-inspired. We place hope in the method that God could use, instead of God Himself. And when God did show up, He was in the most unexpected of places: a gentle whisper.
A whisper, let alone a gentle whisper, can only be heard when one is close. What God demonstrated to Elijah and to us is that God is always close. No matter how we feel, whether we feel spiritually dry or otherwise, He remains the same. God is there before us, even when we’re too distracted to see. So we need to lean in and listen.
Allow God To Create A Stream
One particular verse that touched me in this area when I feel spiritually dry is found in Isaiah. It says,
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
The Merriam-Webster definition of a wasteland is this:
- 1: barren or uncultivated land, a desert wasteland
- 2: an ugly often devastated or barely inhabitable place or area
- 3: something (such as a way of life) that is spiritually and emotionally arid and unsatisfying
And this very well can be a metaphor when we feel spiritually dry. But God says that He can bring forth a stream in the wasteland. Not a droplet, not a cup, not even a bucket-full. But a gushing, continuous, steady stream that flows. How many streams can you normally find in the wasteland? But our God is able to bring richness and satisfaction in areas of our lives that are dry and barren. And this verse can apply to so many areas of our lives.
We need to remove the guilt of feeling this way once we honestly confront the things that have kept us far from God. God sees our hearts and intentions. When we lean into God and listen for His whispers, we need to allow Him to create a stream of overflowing living water. So drink up, friend.
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father, thank you that no matter where I’m at spiritually and no matter how I feel, you remain the same. Move my heart O Lord and remove anything in my life that is causing this spiritual rut. Build my faith and open my eyes to see you all around me. I know you walk with me so open my ears to hear your whispers. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen
Recommendation
Knowing God starts with knowing His Word. If you don’t already own a Bible, there are many churches that give one for free. You can also download a YouVersion Bible App. Or if you’d like a physical copy, it can easily be found on amazon.