When I was working on the post for this week, I remembered writing about a precious verse from Micah. And I decided to repost this from last year - still feels appropriate.
If we are honest, we have all experienced times when we feel far from God. Times when we are, at best, neutral or ambivalent about our walk with Him. And, at worst, we feel doubtful or insecure about the whole thing. Most of the time, we don’t share these lonely and unsettling periods with anyone. We stuff our questions down deep and doubt our own spiritual state in isolation. That only serves to intensify the ordeal!
I don’t have a quick fix nor a surefire preventive maintenance plan but I do want to assure you - you’re not the only one this happens to. This is not a black mark on your spiritual maturity and, while it’s not a place you should remain in, it is something that God can use for your sanctification and for His glory. When i was in college, young in my walk with Him, I heard my beloved pastor share in a sermon that he was just coming out of a very dry time spiritually. He went on, I am sure, to encourage the congregation with truth and tips of how to manage these times but, to be honest I don’t recall a single thing except that. And all these years, when I have walked through such deserts, I have clung to the encouragement that this treasured spiritual giant in my life went through similar times. And that precious truth helped get me through. So, today, while I do want to share some nuggets that have helped me navigate these hard places, the main thing I hope you get out of this is that you are not alone. This is not an indictment of your spiritual condition. Hangeth thou in there, sister!
I’ve been through several of these deserts since my college days and, I doubt I’ve seen the last of them. While that’s not good news, there is good news to be found. I have learned not to despair or give up and I’ve found some things that help me get through them sooner and victoriously. Here’s some tips you might want to try -
Be honest before the Lord. God knows our hearts anyway so it’s not going to take Him by surprise when we pour out our hearts, hearts that are full of anxiety or doubt or even anger. This emptying out of our hearts is not to inform our Lord of our condition but rather to get us in the right position for Him to work in us. While I am not suggesting we treat the Lord with disrespectful disdain, I am encouraging us to lay our hearts bare before Him, raw and ragged as they may be. I am not the authority on this tip - the sacred Psalms of Scripture are. Take a look at one such example- Psalm 142:1,2 - I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. Be honest with Him about how you’re feeling (or not feeling!). This is the place to begin the journey out of the desert.
Only after I have poured out my heart to the Lord am I ready to rehearse the truth to my soul. I remind myself of what I know to be true, regardless of how I feel. Again, we find this principle illustrated in the Psalms, for example, Psalm 42:4,5 - These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used t o go along with the throng and lead them in the procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me, O my soul Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. We also see this example in the Old Testament saint, Job. In the midst of his intense suffering, when he felt abandoned by God and his friends, the light breaks through. He declares the truth And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25,26)
Beware of excessive introspection,but ask God to examine our hearts for anything that might be contributing to or exacerbating the desert experience. It is often easy to berate ourselves past the point of helpfulness, fixating on every single flaw of our humanity. So we must be careful here, but Scripture does instruct us to invite the gracious and loving hand of the Father to shine His light into our hearts. Such examination is not for the purpose of condemnation but rather to diagnose and correct the problem. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139: 23,24)
Keep doing the right things. Often, a sort of paralysis accompanies these desert experiences. One feels powerless, unable to function “normally”. It is tempting then to withdraw, isolate oneself, discontinue the grace habits of faith, such as reading the Bible, praying, attending church, etc. It even feels hypocritical to try to do so when one’s heart “just isn’t into it “. I implore us all to endure the “feeling” of hypocrisy! Keep doing those things we know to be things that sustain our faith, especially keeping community with the saints. Regardless of how we “feel”, these things are powerful tools that God can use to keep us from falling away, and to woo us back into sweet communion with Him. Psalm 13 reveals the angst of the heart that feels distant from God (vs.1-3), and then the determination to not only seek the Lord in the midst of trouble (vs. 3,4) but also the commitment to “do the right things” (vs. 4-6). I have found it helpful to change things up a bit in order to continue “doing the right things”. I have adjusted my prayer time to a walk outside, chatting with God along the way. Or changing my devotional reading to a different book for a season or adding some music in. I have also found that what I watch on TV and/or the books I am reading can have a serious impact on the state of my soul. Just getting careless about what I spend my “entertainment” time on can be detrimental.
Talk to a friend. While I do not advocate doing this in lieu of suggestions 1-4, I do know that God designed us t o need one another. Often our load is significantly lightened when we have a friend to share it with us. Sometimes what we need is someone who can listen and say “me, too!” and “I understand” and best of all, “I care”. One of God’s remedies for Elijah’s depression was the friendship of Elisha. (I Kings 19) Another example in Scripture of how God underscores the importance of friends is the relationship of Jonathan and David. (I Samuel 20). In the desert times, God can use just talking to a friend about it to move us into a place of refreshing.
We learn another tip for the desert times from Elijah. Not only the value of a friend, but also the importance of taking care of ourselves physically. When the spiritual giant was numb in the desert, full of angst and despair, one of the first things God had him do was to eat and take a nap! Something about the desert tempts us to wreak havoc on things like sleep and healthy eating and exercise. So, tip #6 is to take care of oneself physically. I am far from a poster child for healthy habits but I do find that a 30 minute walk several times a week and minimizing junk food (notice I didn’t say eliminating….) have a significant positive influence on my mental and spiritual health.
One of the most powerful tips to trekking our way out of the desert is to sing out loud. Yep, sing out loud! (I wonder if Buddy the Elf read the Psalms to learn his advice on Christmas cheer!!!!) Over and over and over in the Psalms of Scripture, we see the writer advise us to sing the praises of God — especially in the difficult places of life! My precious sisters, there is power in the tongue. The power of life and death in the spoken word. And something about the words we SING intensifies and elevates! In fact, singing praises to our God is so potent that God designated the front lines of His army to be singers! For real! If God ambushed the enemy through songs of praise (2 Chronicles 20) then surely we will want to unleash that same force to get us out of the desert!
Wait, wait on the Lord. If we can cling to the truth that God is good and that He is not wasting these desert times but rather is using them to deepen our walk with Him, then we can commit ourselves to wait. To wait on Him. Not waiting in passivity, as though we are waiting for a movie to begin. But waiting with anticipation and trust, as when we await the birth of a baby. Trusting that, even though we don’t “feel” His presence, we know He is there. Doing the things we know to do, even when we lack emotion. Confident that He is at work on our behalf, whether or not we see the results. Isaiah 8:17 says it this way : I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. If this isn’t your first time in the desert, you know that waiting will produce results. If it is your first time, then take it from those of us who’ve been there before - wait. Just wait on Him.
And then,look forward to the promise of Micah 7:7,8. After we’ve waited, the joy returns. But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall, I will rise. Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.
Yes and amen! Hallelujah! The desert is not forever. The rains of joy and delight will return if we will wait on Him. And in the waiting, let’s pour out our hearts to our God. Let us speak His truth to our parched souls. Let us invite His gracious examination and may we not cease from doing the right things, whether we feel like it or not. Let us find comfort in the support of a friend, and let us not detract from our spiritual health by neglecting our physical health. May we purpose to sing His praises out loud while we wait on Him to restore us.
And, sisters, when He brings us out of these arid places, REJOICE!!!!!! Hallelujah to His Name!