Navigating Spiritual Dryness

There are seasons when faith feels alive, when prayer feels connected, when Scripture jumps off the page. And then there are the dry seasons. Prayer feels like talking to the ceiling. Scripture seems flat. God feels a million miles away. The passion that once fueled your faith has evaporated.

These seasons are disorienting. You wonder what's wrong, what you did, whether this was ever real to begin with. But dry seasons are normal. They're part of spiritual growth, not evidence of its absence.

What Might Be Happening

Growth transition: Sometimes God withdraws the feeling of presence to build a faith that doesn't depend on feelings. This is maturation.

Neglect catching up: Spiritual dryness sometimes follows periods of neglecting the disciplines. You've stopped watering the plant.

Sin or distance: Unconfessed sin or persistent disobedience can create a sense of distance.

Life circumstances: Stress, grief, burnout all affect your spiritual life too. Sometimes dryness reflects what's happening elsewhere.

Feelings aren't the measure of faith. Some of the most significant spiritual growth happens in seasons when you feel nothing at all. Keep walking even when you can't see.

What Helps

• Keep showing up: Pray when you don't feel like it. Read when it seems pointless. Faithfulness in dryness builds something.
• Examine your life: Is there sin to confess? Obedience you've been avoiding?
• Check the basics: Are you sleeping? Resting? Sometimes spiritual dryness is physical depletion.
• Talk to someone: A pastor, mentor, or mature friend can offer perspective.
• Be patient: Seasons change. This won't last forever.

What Doesn't Help

Chasing experiences: Running to conferences or emotional highs to manufacture feeling.

Quitting: Abandoning disciplines because they don't feel productive.

Assuming the worst: Dry seasons don't mean God is gone or your faith was fake.

Your Action Steps

This week: Commit to showing up anyway. Pray, read, even when it feels empty.

This month: Examine your life honestly. What might be contributing to the dryness?

This quarter: Talk to a mature believer about what you're experiencing. Get perspective.