Drought is defined as a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water. Here in Colorado, we rely on mountain snowpack that melts in the spring to fill our reservoirs, so we have water through the summer. This last winter saw some of the lowest snowpack totals on record, so municipalities are already talking about watering restrictions and increased costs for outdoor watering.
Now, you’re probably wondering what that has to do with our lives. There are times when our suffering leads us to feel like we are in a spiritual drought. Maybe we have diminished joy and motivation, difficulty praying or reading scripture or even feeling distant from God despite regular attendance at church. Just like I wrote last week about why God allows suffering, spiritual drought is also designed to bring us back to God, to teach us we can’t do life without Him.
Consider 2 Chronicles 7:13-14: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
While this specifically talks about God stopping the rain, He says clearly that he is looking for His people to turn from their ways back to Him and He will heal their land. When you feel like you are in a spiritual drought, here are some ideas to help break the drought and bring you back to Him. This is the order that I personally follow because music speaks the loudest to my soul.
- Immerse yourself in worship. Believe it or not, the type of music you listen to can speak volumes in your mind and affect your thinking. Start every day with praise and worship music to set the day off in the right direction. Better yet, keep it going all day long.
- Immerse yourself in God’s word. Specifically, the Psalms. David, a man after God’s own heart, wrote about everything from blessing to valleys. Go a step further and use the Psalms as your prayers, as many as you can every day.
- Serve others. Whether this is at your church or just finding someone in need, watching people’s genuine thankfulness for your service brings streams of living water to your soul.
There are many other ways to help break the drought. Find what works best for you and just keep it going. You’ll eventually find that drought has gone and will never return.