Season
Dry season
When God feels far and prayer feels empty.
What this is
Some seasons you pray and feel nothing, the Bible reads flat and worship feels like going through the motions. It happens to faithful Christians: the writer of Psalm 42 thirsted for God and felt far from Him.
Feeling far from God doesn't mean He is far. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Your feelings are real, but not the final truth.
Sometimes dryness has a cause: unconfessed sin, exhaustion, depression, screens, no rest. Sometimes there is none, and God is teaching you to trust Him without the feelings.
Keep reading, praying and gathering with God's people. Like the psalmist, tell your soul to hope in God, because you will praise Him again (Psalm 42:5).
Hold on to this
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.
Read slowly: Thirsty for GodPsalm 63:1-8
1O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water. 2So I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory. 3Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You. 4So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift my hands. 5My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods; with joyful lips my mouth will praise You. 6When I remember You on my bed, I think of You through the watches of the night. 7For You are my help; I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. 8My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence? My tears have been my food both day and night, while men ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”
Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Where to next
- Tell God it feels dryPray honestly: Lord, I feel nothing. Then pray Psalm 42 as your own.Read Psalm 42
- Check for causesAsk: Am I hiding a sin? Exhausted? On screens too much? Have I felt low most days for two weeks or more? If so, see a doctor too. Deal with what you find.
- Change how you do itRead the Bible aloud, pray while you walk, or listen to an audio Bible.
- Rest your bodySleep, take a day off, get outside. Sometimes a dry soul means a worn-out body.
- Stay with God's peopleKeep going to church and your small group, even if you feel numb. Let others' faith carry you a while.
Watch out: Chasing a feeling
It's tempting to chase emotional highs, or to quit when they fade. God wants a trust deeper than feelings.
Pray
God, I feel far from You and I don't know why. I choose to trust that You are near. Search my heart, refresh my soul, and help me keep going until I sense Your presence again.