Yesterday we published a list of potential causes for feeling spiritually dry.
Dryness often points to something not being right, whether sin or something else and forces us to adjust.
While periods of dryness are universal, how we deal with them often differs. Below are some ways your staff looks to persevere.
Rachel Duncan
When I am in a dry place spiritually it is really hard to even pick up the Bible or pray. I will often pull out a daily devotional or pick a guided plan on the YouVersion Bible app. It feels more approachable and still gets me in the word. Another practical thing I will do is put on some music and listen.
Sometimes I’ll listen to a song and feel like I’m not in a place to really fully believe or mean the words. For example, the words “If you gladly chose surrender so will I” from So Will I (100 Billion X) that we’ve sung in church. I don’t always desire surrender, but I want to. So then I’ll try to pray that I could honestly sing the words.
Finally, and perhaps this should be first, I ask for prayer. I’ll ask my mom to pray for me over the phone or even just send a text to a friend that I know will be faithful to pray. Then I hold on, because God has proven himself faithful and I can trust that I won’t always be in this dry place.
Marcy White
From time to time, I find myself feeling disconnected from God. During these times, my usual devotional methods just don’t seem to bring me into His presence.
I have learned that for me the quickest way back to close communion with my Savior is in thanksgiving and praise. It may seem silly, but I begin thanking Him for everything from the comfortable seat I’m sitting on to the controllable air temperature inside my home. I thank Him for any comfort I see around me that He’s allowed me to have and for the relationships He’s blessed me with.
I progress into thanking and praising Him for all He has done for me and the world on the Cross and for what He continues to do in sanctifying each of us for His glory.
It is so humbling and beautiful to remember and recognize all that He provides, all that He does and I find myself connected once again to the God of Wonders. “He inhabits the praises of His people.” -Psalm 22:3. “In His presence, there is fullness of joy.” -Psalm 16:11.
Pastor Aaron
For me, spiritual dryness often indicates that I need to spend some concerted effort getting things right, so I try to carve out more time to spend with the Lord.
My first response is to see if there is sin, whether it’s allowing busyness to crowd out devotion, a volitional act of rebellion, holding onto anger/bitterness, or having allowed apathy to take over my life. I confess, repent, and seek to restore damage I may have caused.
In other cases, I preach the gospel to myself until I fully believe it. I rehearse in my mind all God has accomplished for me through Jesus, who I am in Him, how He loves me despite my failings, and how my feelings aren’t reflective of reality.
By repentance and remembrance, I am often secured enough to press in. When my vision is shifted from my feelings to the object of my faith, I often find myself nourished and restored.
Pastor Jeff
When I think of spiritual dryness my mind goes to Psalm 63:1. King David realizes his spiritual dryness as he is in an actual desert. “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.”
The first step to praying when in a spiritual dry patch is to be honest with God about your heart. David was far from God and yearned to be close again. Maybe you’re not there yet. Be honest about what you feel toward God. Ask yourself, “If I had nothing to lose, what would I say to God?” Complain out loud to God if you need to. David modeled this for us throughout the Psalms.
After you’ve said what’s on your heart, get back into your head and remember the things God has done. God heals us through remembering. Remind yourself that nothing you are experiencing is surprising to God. He knows everything about you including every deliberate sin, every lonely moment, every crisis, every desperate hour and He still sustains you. He has not abandoned you, but has given you life and breath in your lungs and a reason for hope; He loves you. The beauty of God’s love is that it survives spiritual droughts.
Don’t believe the lie that spiritual dryness means that God has gotten over you. God is, in fact, utterly devoted to you in Jesus. “This is real love – not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10). Rather than pulling away from God, practice receiving God’s love. Start and end there whether this is the first day you are following Jesus or your fortieth year of walking with Him.
Pastor Sean
When I am feeling spiritually dry, often times I will find a time of the day or place that is out of the ordinary for me to pray. This might mean getting up a little earlier or staying up a little later, or perhaps skipping out on a normal meal time to feast on God’s word instead of food.
I often find that going to the chapel at church to pray is reinvigorating, or finding a space outdoors that allows for enjoyment of the beauty of God’s creation and blessings (Psalm 19:1-4).
Perhaps the most helpful thing I have done when feeling spiritually dry is to share this concern with a trusted loved one in Christ. Being honest about my walk with God to someone I can be real with is always fruitful and almost always leads to feeling closer to God. I encourage anyone feeling this way to seek the counsel and encouragement from someone who you know truly loves you.
In the comments below, share what strategies you have employed to combat spiritual dryness.
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