What is spiritual dryness, and how can I overcome it?

Answer

When individuals express feeling “spiritually dry,” they typically refer to sensing a distance from God or encountering challenges in their spiritual growth. They perceive a lack of God’s presence, feel overwhelmed by life’s struggles, and start to experience discouragement. They seek God “in a dry and parched land where there is no water” “O God, thou art My God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;”, (Psalm 63:1)—this signifies a period of spiritual dryness. Various factors can contribute to spiritual dryness.

Sometimes, spiritual dryness stems from personal sin. Sin can lead us to feel distant from God because we prioritize our desires over God’s will. Unconfessed sin can rob us of the joy linked to our salvation (see Psalm 51:12). We can address this dry season by confessing our sins to God “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”, (see 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 32). Additionally, we must trust in God’s promise: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”, (James 4:8). Being “double-minded” involves maintaining conflicting loyalties, like attempting to serve both God and wealth “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”, (Luke 18:1).

A third way to overcome spiritual dryness is fellowship with other believers. One of the strengths of the early church was that they spent time with one another. Acts 2:46–47 notes, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” God’s purpose for His people is koinonia, which involves fellowship, encouragement, and true relationships.

David was likely experiencing a time of spiritual dryness when he wrote this psalm:

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” (Psalm 13:1-2).

At the end of the same short psalm, we have a change in attitude:

“But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me” (Psalm 13:5-6).

How did David break out of his spiritual dryness? He trusted in God’s love; he chose to rejoice and sing, based on unchanging spiritual truth; and he remembered God’s goodness in the past.

Jesus promised, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water.

“Welling up to eternal life” “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”, (John 4:14). Living water from our Lord is a definite remedy for spiritual aridity.