Dry Places: Finding God in Times of Spiritual Drought

Recently a friend has been struggling. She had gone through several emotionally draining experiences with guys she cared about in a very short time frame. Her body started reacting badly (lack of appetite, skin breaking out, etc.). It took her a little bit of time to realize what her body was trying to tell her – she was experiencing heartache, but she was determined to come out of it through prayer, praise, and focused devotion. My friend is a great prayer warrior (her prayers have seen me through some situations!) and I was convinced she would get victory over this in no time. However, as I continued to check in, it became clear that she was oscillating between feeling the comfort of the Holy Spirit to struggling to find God in the midst of her struggle.

Have you ever been there? Something happens. Maybe it’s a relationship you thought was going great that suddenly blows up. Maybe all’s well at work when your boss drops a bomb on your desk. Maybe your once full checking account is suddenly empty. Maybe it’s that you’ve been really hearing from God and living purposefully for him, and then suddenly you’re wondering where the joy and the praise and the energy to read the Bible went. I think, as followers, we come into those cycles where things are running smoothly, even better than that, and then suddenly, without warning, we’re in a dry place. And this can take place over months or years, or it can happen in the space of 24 hours. But I believe it’s important to recognize this as a cycle, as a season, and not a permanent state or a punishment like we’re often quick to think. God doesn’t just allow wildernesses for his children for no reason (read Exodus). He certainly didn’t lead his only Son, Jesus Christ, into the dry place just for giggles (see Matthew 4:1-11 or Luke 4:1-13). These dry places are tests, not necessarily of our faith, but our endurance. I’m sure Jesus Christ has plenty of faith that he was, in fact, the Son of God, but when you’ve been 40 days in the wilderness without a bite to eat, your endurance might fail. The children of Israel’s endurance certainly failed, and quickly – they were just fresh out of Egypt when they started complaining.

1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you” (KJV). The wilderness is sometimes a fiery trial – a disruptive working environment, a difficult spouse, an ornery child, an unexpected death or devastating occurrence that leaves you weary and heartbroken. But there are also dry places – a stale marriage, a lackluster career, an ordinary devotion time, a frustrated prayer life. A period of time where the Word of God no longer thrills you, or you’re not hearing from God no matter how much you pray, or maybe you feel better about your situation for a little bit but then the emotions return and you’re back in that place of weariness and brokenness. And while the dry place certainly isn’t the fiery trial, it can be just as energy sapping. But the Bible says, “think it not strange”. Don’t get surprised in this human experience called life, whether big and tragic or small and tiresome.

I know, that’s not exactly what you want to hear. And I certainly didn’t trot this verse out to my friend in the middle of her situation. But I believe knowing that these trials, these dry places, are to be expected, helps me understand how to handle them. And for the woman out there who is down on her knees, praying to God for deliverance, who is struggling for a breakthrough, who wants spiritual and emotional victory over your dry place, over your trial, I’ve got a word for you.

Persist.

There’s a story in Genesis 32 about Jacob. He is returning to his homeland with his family, but he’s terrified of Esau, the older brother from whom he stole the birthright. Naturally, he’s thinking the reunion’s not going to be a very happy one, so he splits up his family and sends them away. Then, in the middle of what must be a nerve-wracking night, someone suddenly shows up and starts wrestling with him. Instead of giving up, Jacob recognizes what the situation really is – he’s fighting an angel of God – and he understands the importance of the situation – he can receive the blessing of God in this moment. So, all night Jacob wrestles the angel. Even after his hip is lamed, he still holds on, and in the end the blessing is given.

I imagine it was pretty awesome for Jacob when, after all that blood, sweat, and tears, he got to limp away with the blessing of God. I think, if it had just been given to him without him struggling for it, the blessing wouldn’t have been nearly as meaningful, nor would Jacob have learned what it meant to truly earn what belonged to him (instead of stealing and tricking his way into other people’s things – but that’s another story for another post). I believe God hears his children at all times and is working things out to the good of those who love him. But I also think that sometimes we go through periods of not feeling his presence so that we learn to rely, not on what we feel, but on the promises of his Word that he is there for us (Deut. 31:6; Isaiah 41:10; John 14:16-17; Romans 8:26).

Our dry places, our wildernesses, they become tests of the endurance of our faith, of the persistence of our prayers, of the continuance of our praise. Wrestle with God and yourself, don’t just throw in the towel because you’re tired or because your 40-day dry place seems to be turning into a 40-year-long wilderness. Because, sisters, our faith, prayer, and praise should never be dependent on our situation, they should be reliant on the belief in our God’s sovereignty, grace, truth and love. And I promise you, even if you don’t see it happening, he’s working it out. But you’ve got to have patience that extends longer than your ability to imagine the end result. Because it may not happen as soon as you say “Amen.”

My friend is finding encouragement in James 1:2-4, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” It is a daily work, releasing it all to God. But God is a faithful God – he will bring her through, one day at a time.