How to Get Out of a Dry Season in Your Faith
Your Bible is boring, praying seems pointless, and the church feels overwhelming – if we’re honest, we’ve all been here. Today, Haley and Noel share their dry season/valley of dry bones stories and how God ushered them through them. They encourage listeners that “this too shall pass” and give three tips to get you back on track.
What we dive into in this episode:
- Normalizing your dry faith season
- Asking God for help
- Seeking God and finding community
- Acknowledging that seasons end
- Finding the Lord in the secret place
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Am I In A Dry Season?
Sometimes we go through seasons of spiritual deadness where we feel super far from God, have no motivation to seek Him, and struggle with spiritual warfare. When we feel super far from God, there’s a lack of motivation to seek Him. When we don’t have that emotional connection or drive, it’s even harder to do things we know will fill us. We try to pray, go to church, and read the Bible, but we feel nothing. Then we spiral and start to question everything. And the kicker? We have no idea what to do about it. So, first off, how do we even know if we’re in a dry season?
Gen Z Bible memes are the only way you’re reading the Bible.
If you’re struggling to read your Bible, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. There’s so much out there vying for our attention. If we’re being honest, reading the Bible can sometimes be boring and hard to understand.
Most of the time, we’re making it too complicated. We put pressure on ourselves to read a certain translation or make some eye-opening discovery every time we read it. But in reality, we can read whichever translation suits us best. Sometimes, keeping a devotional or commentary to read alongside your Bible can be helpful when you’re stuck in that hard season.
God is good to give to those who ask. So when you find yourself struggling to read, ask God for help with reading your Bible and insight into what it all means.
Remember, the Bible is a weapon against spiritual warfare. If you’re feeling broken, anxious, or depressed, then you’re feeling spiritual warfare, even if you can’t see it with your eyes. It’s time to pick up your weapon and fight against it!
“Did you pray today?” Feels offensive.
We’ve all been there. Sometimes, prayer feels HARD. Even the most devout Christians feel like their prayers aren’t being heard – or worse – that they’re talking to themselves. Read the Psalms. King David felt the same way!
Again, we often overcomplicate things. Prayer is just a conversation. It doesn’t have to look a certain way or have a certain aesthetic. It’s just you talking to your creator, telling Him about your life, your worries, and your gratitude. Make prayer a routine by finding pockets in your day. Pray when you’re driving to work, in line to pick up the kids from school, or in the shower!
Accountability, especially in a dry season, can help get you back on track with your prayer life. Find a group of people to do life with, and ask them to help hold you accountable. This may feel like a chore at first, but you just have to push through that feeling. Eventually, the dry season will pass, and you’ll have that desire back.
Church people scare you.
Listen, we aren’t saying that church is the end-all be-all, but we do need to remind you that we are created for community. We should surround ourselves with others who can pray for us, mentor us, and disciple us through those hard times. We’re going to find those people in the church. It’s easy to say, “I don’t need church. I have a relationship with God. I don’t like hypocritical people,” or “the church doesn’t do anything for me.”
But we can guarantee you that not being in fellowship with other believers is going to keep you stuck in that dry season.
Seeking the Kingdom of God feels hard.
Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” If you’re not seeking God first, chances are you’re probably in that dry season. If you’re consistently distracted by your phone, choosing worldly vices, or deliberately disobeying God’s commands, you’ll slide into that dry season so quickly.
Shame in Your Dry Season
There can be so much shame attached to a dry season. People have fears that you’re backsliding or falling away from the faith. We want people to realize that being in the valley of dry bones, although terrible, is normal and passes. Just like our seasons on earth, you’re going to have your harvest, summer seasons, and dry, winter seasons. There will be seasons where you don’t feel on fire for God or super connected, and there will be seasons where you feel like God is your best friend. But it’s important to remember that there are things we can do to get back on track.
Remember God’s Promises
Go back to God’s promises. In a drought, it’s so easy to forget what God promises us. But even when our circumstances seem bleak, we can trust that He is working all things together for our good. He hasn’t left us. He’s hearing us and waiting for us to come back to Him. Sometimes we’re just stubborn.
However, no matter how long we’re in the pit, or how bad the darkness around us gets, one thing will remain the same. This season ends. And Jesus remains.
So, How Do You Overcome a Dry Season?
Don’t come off the vine.
John 15. Read that over and over. He is the true vine. You have to stay connected to Jesus to bring fruit back into your life.
Stay close to the flame.
Stay close to people who bring you close to God. Stay close to the flame. Read your Bible. Pray. Stay connected to a church community.
Find the secret place, don’t chase a feeling.
So many times we chase a feeling, but the intimacy we crave isn’t a feeling – it’s a relationship. Staying in that secret place builds your intimacy with God. Just like any relationship, building that foundation takes time, and there will be highs and lows.
Sometimes we chase this big emotional high, thinking that it’s God, but God is so many other things too. God can be peace in unpeaceful situations, or stillness in chaos. In scripture, there are so many times when God comes in a whisper, a silent moment, or a peaceful atmosphere.
One day you’ll read, pray, and praise, and you won’t feel anything. That will happen, but it doesn’t mean you stop doing it. You’re laying a foundation. It’s all growth and part of the process.
Your Valley of Dry Bones Will Come Alive
In Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel prophesies for the dry bones to come alive, and guess what? They do! We are prophesying over you in the same way! This dry season you’re in, this valley of dry bones, will end and end quickly! You will see the fruit of what you’ve been walking in. Trust the process and God’s promises in the meantime.
FAQs for My Girlies Who Skim
Help! I’m stuck in this dry season!
Read your Bible. Pray. Seek the Lord. This season will pass, and you will come out of this stronger than before.
What if I can’t find a church that’s right for me?
Keep trying. It can be hard to find the right church community but don’t give up. Keep visiting, keep searching. The right fit is out there, you just have to find your people.
I don’t understand my Bible.
There are so many translations out there. Find the right one that works for you. It can also be helpful to add additional resources like devotionals, commentaries, and other Christian books to read alongside your Bible to help you understand and interpret what scripture says. Take heart, God’s word is alive and working whether you feel it or not.
