Anyone who has walked out a journey of faith for any period of time knows that there are seasons of abundance in the walk and seasons of what feel like drought. In the season of drought, it’s easy to feel like it goes on forever. You begin to feel like there’s something wrong with you, and the more you feel like that, the less you feel like you deserve closeness with God. Pretty soon you’re spiraling further and further away from Him and the season of abundance feels like a different lifetime, a different you.
Spiritual drought doesn’t have to go on forever. The Father loved you then and He loves you now. He is just as near to you in the season of the drought as He was in the season of abundance. Often, when you’re feeling spiritually dry, all you need is a mindset shift. God hasn’t changed–only your thoughts and feelings toward Him have changed. Here are some steps to take for when you’re feeling spiritually dry and want to get back on track.
Go back to old favorites that have moved you in the past
For me, this might be a book or a worship playlist. I tend to approach life in an extremely cerebral way, so books help me approach God in a way that feels comfortable and familiar, but that isn’t the best or the only approach. Think back to when you’ve felt close to God in the past. Was it at a certain place? Perhaps in nature? Maybe you feel close to God when you’re watching a particular movie. Whatever that is, recreate that. There’s no promise that God will speak to you in the same way He did before. But going through the motions of how He moved in your life before will certainly remind you of His faithfulness in your life.
Play worship music even if you don’t feel like it
My desire (or lack thereof) to listen to worship music can sometimes be the single greatest indicator for where I’m at spiritually. If all the songs sound the same and listening to worship music feels like a chore, it usually means I need to do some heart work. I’m not saying this is true for everyone, but it’s certainly a general truth for my own life. One of the ways that I can open my heart to the work of the Lord is to play music that worships Him even if I really don’t feel like it.
Lately, I’ve been really enjoying this playlist.
Take a leap and ask a friend to pray for you
If you’re not used to asking for help, this can feel really scary. But something we see in the Bible over and over again is the importance of community in our spiritual walks. In Western culture, we have this mindset that spirituality is a solo thing. While there is personal responsibility and it’s important to grow as individuals, being in a group of believers shouldn’t be written off. Read any book in the New Testament and you’ll see people praying together.
Try out a new spiritual discipline
If going back to your old favorites isn’t working for you, try incorporating a new spiritual discipline. Maybe you’re really good at praying consistently through the day, but God still feels far away from you. Consider fasting. That’s a spiritual discipline I seldom hear people talking about, and I’m guilty of neglecting it too. Other spiritual disciplines are meditation, confession, solitude, journaling, and celebration, to name a few.
If you’re wanting to learn more about spiritual disciplines, I’ve heard that this book is a great resource.
Consider what is taking away from your spiritual life
Adding new habits and disciplines can certainly go a long way in helping you stop feeling so spiritually dry, but sometimes things need to be eliminated or minimized from your life too. For me, this is (sadly) often television. When I’m spending too much time watching tv, I stay up later than I intend to, which makes it more difficult to wake up and spend time with the Lord. On top of that, many times shows can make me feel discontent with my life. Pay attention to what in your life is making you feel further from God, or making it harder for you to come near to Him. Maybe for you it’s spending too much time with friends, listening to the wrong kind of music, or reading the wrong books.
Get in a community
We talked earlier about how important community is in our spiritual lives. If you’re not in a spiritual community already, be intentional about finding one. Maybe this means finding a church to go to on Sunday mornings, or a community group to meet with on a week night. Maybe it means starting your own Bible study, or asking someone to be your accountability partner. Whatever it is, find some people you can walk with and mutually encourage one another.
Read a Christian Biography
To be honest, it’s been years since I read a Christian biography. There was a time in my life when I read a lot of these and they really expanded my vision of what God can do in and through a person’s life. Perhaps I’ll add a couple to my reading list for the fall, since my summer reading list is all filled up. Some of my favorite Christian biographies are this one and this one and this one. I’ve also heard really good things about this book and this book by Eric Metaxas.
Read your Bible
I list this step last not because it’s least important. Quite the contrary. There’s something about God’s Word that feels really unapproachable and impossible to read when you’re in a spiritual funk. Instead of beating yourself up about not having a passion for God’s Word, let yourself try a couple other steps first. Most likely, a desire for communing with Him in His Word will follow. If it doesn’t, at some point you might need to force yourself to go through the motions.
There’s a fallacy that I’ve often heard from Christians that you should only read God’s Word (or do any other spiritual practice) if you feel like it, otherwise you’re being fake or hypocritical. That’s a really dangerous mindset to have. Sometimes our feelings lead us to God. But sometimes our feelings lead us away from God. It’s important to put fact over feelings. The fact is, when we’re faithful to open God’s Word and seek His truth, He will reveal Himself to us (Matthew 7:7). Our feelings might tell us there’s no point, but listening to the facts is crucial here.
A Final Note
It’s tempting to beat yourself up when you’re feeling spiritually dry. Just remember, God loves you as you are and He meets you where you are. Be patient with yourself, just like God is. If God’s revealed Himself to you in the past, He’ll do it again. Especially if you ask. Don’t give up and don’t beat yourself up. You’ll get through this.
