My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. -Psalm 22:1-2
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! -Psalm 130:1-2
Before Jesus quoted Psalm 22 from the cross they were the words of the psalmist, King David. David had a close, intimate walk with God. At times his own sin created a chasm in that relationship, yet at other times God simply seemed to disappear from his life for no apparent reason. Though David sought God, he could not find him, and his soul became parched as he longed for the renewing of that relationship. Out of the depths of his own loneliness and despair he cried out to God to hear him.
I have found that there are seasons in our lives which God intentionally makes “dry.” He moves away from us (withdrawing his felt presence) in order that we might learn to rely on him and not on our own strength. I do not know exactly why God chooses to teach many of us in this way. There is no question that we are often the instigators of our own spiritual dryness, walking away from the Lord in sin and disobedience (Psalm 51:11). Sometimes, however, it happens in spite of our faithfulness to Scripture reading, prayer, regular worship attendance and Christian service. For me at least, dry seasons come at unpredictable times. Busyness, lack of prayer, emotional or physical trauma, or idleness can certainly be factors, but I have found that there is no discernable pattern. In a couple of seasons in my walk with God over the past thirty-nine years I have felt much like David— unable to determine why I felt so distant from him, or, better stated, why he seemed so distant from me. Although I cannot always put a finger on how or why, I can say my walk with the Lord is always stronger after these periods of dryness, not weaker. Somehow, mysteriously it seems, God uses these times to build me up rather than tear me down.
I have no pat answers for those of you who have shared with me that you are suffering through dry periods in your walk with God. The short answer seems to be: he is God, and “he does as he pleases” (Dan. 4:34-35). I have found that I usually do not see a breakthrough until I have searched my own heart to see if I am harboring a secret sin. If I do not find that God is trying to make me aware of a pattern of sinfulness in my life, I simply ask him to do what he wants to do with me, and to please do it quickly. Sometimes I just need to wait quietly before God. I have a tendency, at times, to undo myself with my doing. Maybe that describes you as well.
For those who truly know God and seek him in order to know him, these dry periods are intended for good, not evil. Keep seeking him, even with tears, and wait for him to show you his presence again; he will, and you will be better off for it. Before long, you will be able to say with Moses, “If your presence does not go with me, do not send me up from here” (Ex. 33:15). It does us no good to gain the world, my friends, if we forfeit our souls in the process. Nourish your soul, and never allow the pursuit of gain and worldly treasures to impede your pursuit of God. He may at times teach and train you via the dark night of the soul, but in the morning he will greet you again, and there you will find that his mercies are new and his faithfulness is great.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym