This morning, I was reading that a big part of Maryland is in drought conditions. Bad news for the farmers, who have a tough time making a living anyway.
It got me thinking about times of spiritual drought. We all go through them. Times where we just don’t feel like our prayers are going anywhere. We keep praying, asking God to help, and nothing seems to be happening. It gets frustrating, doesn’t it?
When Mother Theresa’s journals were published after her death, many people, including myself were amazed that she spent decades in a spiritual drought. Well, if she could do what she did while at the same time feeling so distant from God, then maybe there’s some hope for you and me. 🙂
Five Things To Get You Out Of A Spiritual Drought
- Don’t give up. Keep praying like you’ve always prayed, as hard as that might be. In your prayer, ask God to remain close to you, even though you may not feel His presence.
- Find a good Spiritual Director or Mentor to work with you. In my own experience, having someone talk with me on a regular basis has helped me see glimpses of God in my life, even though I couldn’t see them by myself.
- Join a Bible Study or Prayer Group. Just being with other people on their journey can bring a sense that you’re not in this by yourself. Some days, you may have to force yourself to go, but keep with it.
- Keep a journal. Being able to turn back to past entries where you wrote down how God was working in your life, you can be reminded of God’s faithfulness to you. For most of us, times of spiritual drought don’t last too long.
- Using tools like St. Ignatius’ Examen prayer, you can identify areas of your life that need some spiritual work. Sometimes, our own sinfulness can be a major contributor to spiritual droughts. If you find that to be the case, get reconciled with God.
These are just five amongst thousands of things you can do to get yourself out of a spiritual drought. It may not be easy, but it’s worth doing.
Several years ago, I heard a story about two farmers, who were struggling during a time of drought. On farmer, sure that the drought was going to continue at least another season, chose not to plant any seeds that year, thinking it would be a waste of time and money.
The second farmer, trusting in God’s providence, decided to put down seed, even though he didn’t know how things would turn out. He might end up losing everything because of the financial costs, but he took the risk anyway. Who do you think the Lord blessed? Who was the farmer that prospered when the rains finally came?
