Dry Times

Sometimes I go through periods where it feels like I'm hearing directly from Jesus every day. He seems to clearly be lighting my path, I feel Him moving in my heart, and I can see His handiwork all through my life. Sometimes these periods last a few days, sometimes they last several months.

Other times it feels like I'm in a desert. Even when I press in and plead with God, I can't feel anything. I don't see how God is answering any of my prayers. It feels like God wrote the Bible and then simply turned me loose to obey it on my own. Temptations I struggle with get more intense and even more difficult to shake. My heart yearns after idols. I get lazier and more self-centered. I get short with people. I watch TV more. I care less. Life feels bitter. And then I get physically depressed at how little progress I seem to have made in Christian growth and maturity. So I seek God, I press in... and God seems to be silent. Nothing. Like He's gone on writer's strike and all I can do is watch lame reruns of things He did in my life last year. And so I don't know exactly what to do.

Anybody else like that? Why is God like that? What are you supposed to do during the "dry" times?

I don't know if I have the answer, but here's what I have discovered:

1. Read the Psalms. Encourage yourself with the thought that this is the common experience of the greatest believers in history.

2. Preach the Gospel to yourself. I am not loved or accepted by Christ because of how I feel, how much victory I have over temptation, or how well I'm doing. God's love for me never wavers or changes, even in the dry times. My faith is not in my feelings, but in the unchangeable facts of the Gospel.

3. Press on in obedience. I believe that part of the "faith journey" is actually learning to obey when you can't see or sense God. Sometimes we have to simply believe "that He's there" and that He really is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Endure and press on. Faith is acting when you have nothing else to go on but God's promises. And you can't feel those. You believe them.

4. Think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. There, He tried to meet with His Father for motivation and consolation before going to the cross. He found nothing, but obeyed anyway. Because of that obedience, I am never really alone and I never have to fear God's displeasure of me. He endured all that in my place.

I'm looking forward this week to starting our mini-series, Scarred, about the last days of Jesus before the cross. My prayer is that we will learn to really love and be amazed by Him. You can pray for me.

Come to RENEW this Friday. It's a big deal. It's going to be a revival.

Comments

[kd]

Glad to know others struggle with it as well:
Valley of Vision
Shane and Shane music
When the Darkness Will Not Lift - Piper
The Cross Centered LIfe - Mahaney
Pursuit of Holiness - Bridges
The Psalms
Preach the gospel to yourself: something Mahaney says often.

[sp]

Thank you for your transparency J.D.! I was just thinking about this yesterday, so it's encouraging to know that my own pastor goes through these periods!

[nikki]

i'm so encouraged to hear your struggles with this...a couple of us in my SummitLife group, mainly myself, have been struggling with this, and this definitely helps.

Thanks!

[clayton king]

It takes great courage to admit these human struggles to a close friend in confidence, but even more courage to admit them in a public forum such as this. I think one reason you are so loved and respected as a pastor and a friend is that you have never pretended. As ministers, those who follow our leadership are keenly aware of how we conduct ourselves, and honesty is, in my opinion, one characteristic that endears folks to us; to our sermons and to our example. I love you dearly, J.D. I count you as one of my closest friends on earth.

[Bernard Shuford]

Wow. Awesome description of something that I seem to go through about once a month. Thanks for sharing!