Are you in a place or season of life where your faith and relationship with God feels distant? There are seasons when your faith will feel alive and vibrant. Everything seems aligned, there is a deep hunger for God, your prayers flow freely, and Scripture comes alive during your quiet time. But then, there are are also seasons when you feel your faith is sinking. You still believe in God Almighty, but your heart feels distant and disconnected from him.
Lately, I have found myself spiritually dry. Not because I stopped loving God, but because life got noisy, studying God’s Word became a struggle, and I have failed many times to prioritize my time with God. Sometimes, it is never planned, life’s distractions and challenges simply take up spaces in your day. The mind is full, the heart is heavy and the body is tired.
But, this past Sunday, as I sat in Church and listened to my Pastor teach about the Holy Spirit, it dawned on me once again that cultivating my relationship with God is my responsibility.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” – James 4:8.
This bible verse is our call to action, and a reminder to actively pursue an intimate relationship with God. God is closer than you think, and even in your desert places, he wants to have a growing relationship with you.
Spiritual dryness is a red flag to cut out distractions and carve out time with God every day. Ask God what you need to let go of to receive refreshment from the Living Water. This takes spiritual discipline and commitment, but the harvest will be abundant in due season. – livingproof.co
A Cry for Revival – Psalm 42
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? – Psalm 42:1-2
In Psalm 42, the writer uses metaphor to describe an intense longing for God. He uses the vivid image of a deer in urgent need, seeking water desperately in times of drought or after fleeing from danger. Water in this case represents life, survival, renewal and refreshment. Just as a deer desperately seeks water to survive, so does a man’s soul long for God as the only true source of life.
Psalm 42:1–2 (ESV): As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
The Psalmist follows with this phrase – ‘so my soul pants for you’, speaking of a deep yearning and longing for God. His words speak of a deep rooted desire for God himself and not the things he gives. We will always feel empty in our life’s journey without God. This thirst is spiritual and comes from within. It is a deep inner craving that only communion with God can satisfy.
Nothing else can quench the dryness within us. No success, no comfort, no earthly treasure or material blessings. Perhaps it’s time to cry out – Lord, I long for you. My heart thirsts for the living God. I want to feel your presence once again in my life.
Remember that the writer also emphasizes his soul’s thirst for the Living God. Perhaps, he was weary from empty devotions and busyness in religious things. He longed for an authentic encounter with the ‘Living God’. He wanted to experience an intimate relationship with a God who is always near, active and alive. He wanted to encounter a God who responds and breathes life into our broken spirits and dry souls.
And then, he goes on to say – “When shall I come and appear before God?” speaking of his longing for God’s presence. When will I be close to God again? When will I see his face? Jesus highlights the importance of our connectedness with God in John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” A life disconnected from God will always feel dry, empty and meaningless. We become dry and wither away when we are not connected to the true source of life. However, in the end, we can say that the Psalmist’s earnest desire was not relief from his circumstances, or a request for material blessings, it was for a deep-rooted desire for God himself.
Do you feel distant and lost, cut off from worship and the word, or far from the community of faith? It’s time to cry out for revival and a fresh outpouring of God’s spirit in your life today.
A Scripture to Hold On To
“A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.” In faithfulness, he will bring forth justice — Isaiah 42:3 NIV
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. – Isaiah 42:3 NLT
God is a good God who is not about to give up on you. He is still there even when words fail. He is calling you out of your dry and desert places today. You are not unworthy, lost or misplaced. You are simply human. And you have a God who will never abandon you, even when your faith feels weak and your relationship with him grows distant. God is waiting for you, and his arms are wide open longing for you to run right in. Will you?
7 Ways to Overcome Spiritual Dryness
A Short Prayer to Reignite Your Faith
If you are spiritually worn out, distracted, numb, or struggling with spiritual dryness, this prayer is for you.
Lord Jesus, I admit that my faith feels faint right now. I admit that my relationship with you feels distant, I still believe, but feel far from you. I confess that I hardly even pray, and my desire for the word has grown dim. But, once again I am reminded of your word that says – you will always be with me and that you will never leave or forsake me. So today, I am running back to you from the desert places in my life. Relight my heart with a gentle whisper of your presence. Stir my soul toward longing for the Word again. Fill me with a new passion and desire for an intimate working relationship with you. Let these prayers be a starting point for something new and fresh in my life.
Lord, may my soul pant for you like a thirsty deer longing for streams of living water. I confess that I often run to shallow waters that leave me empty. But I want to experience you like I have never had in my life. I want to hear your voice and feel your presence in my life every single day. I want your word to guide my every decision. Let scriptures come alive to me, bible verses that go beyond the written word to becoming a spoken word from God to me. Lord, you alone are the fountain of living water. Draw me close, satisfy my thirst, and let me always dwell in your presence. Teach me to hunger and thirst for you above all else, until the day when I see you face to face.
Father, I ask for your grace to be held up in my low and weak moments. Fill me with strength to always hold on to your word no matter what comes my way. Help me to focus and keep the distractions and negative voices at bay. Show me the path that leads to life and let your living waters flow over my soul. Holy Spirit, fill me afresh and saturate my whole being with your power and presence. Lord, bring me back to the place where we first met and pour yourself afresh in me. This I pray in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!
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This blessed me today, Ufuoma! Thank you for the reminder that he draws near to us when we draw near to him!