When You Feel Spiritually Dry - Your Nightly Prayer - August 28
Your Nightly Prayer
Audio By Carbonatix
By Greg Grandchamp, Crosswalk.com
When You Feel Spiritually Dry
Your Nightly Prayer
By Greg Grandchamp
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” - John 7:38
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Have you ever been hiking on a summer day? Or maybe working in the yard? Perhaps you volunteered somewhere and forgot to bring your water bottle. We all know what that can be like as our thirst grows and grows, until our mouths seemingly feel like we are chewing on cotton balls. Well, sometimes our faith seems to feel dry, too.
We sit down in prayer or to study from the Word and…nothing. You simply aren’t feeling it. And yes, sometimes it’s a once-in-a-while type of occurrence – but sometimes, it can drag on for longer than we care to admit. And then the awful thoughts begin to invade, making matters worse – how can I be feeling like this? How can I be feeling…nothing?
It might feel like you’re saying the words, but they’re empty. They’re verbal but not heartfelt. Or, you might not even know what to say at the moment. You’re feeling like your heart is dry – your spirit is dry. A bit like your mouth feels on that hot day. And at that moment, you’re not exactly sure where to turn because…well, you feel alone in these emotions.
Please believe me when I say that, in fact, you are not alone, far from it. We have all been there – every one of us. Some more often; others less so, perhaps. But even knowing that, you’re still not sure which way to go at that moment. Hey, even David felt it and said as much in Psalm 63. We are “in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Well, Jesus told us exactly where to turn. It was almost as if He knew we would go through this – and likely knew the Jews would be feeling spiritually dry as they awaited the Messiah to free them from Roman rule.
In the gospel of John, chapter 7, Jesus attended the Festival of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem and went to the Temple to teach. He spoke “on the last and greatest day of the festival”:
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this, he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. (v. 37-39)
We have read it so many times that it is sometimes easy to forget that Jesus was speaking to us, to me, to you. And He wasn’t speaking of physical thirst but rather of spiritual thirst, just as He had spoken to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget, but we can quit trying so hard. We can quit our striving. (Psalm 46:10) When we’re feeling spiritually dry, let’s turn to the Lord and His Holy Spirit – because He’s always there for us.
The Lord has filled us with the fruit of the Spirit. Let us pray that we be filled with “love, joy, peace, patience, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Against these, there is no law. (Galatians 2:22)
We need never stay spiritually dry - spiritually thirsty - again. We have living water – the Holy Spirit – who dwells within each of us if you have given your life to Christ.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father,
I come to you not really knowing what to say, not really knowing what I’m feeling. But you already know that because you are my God and you love me. Help me, Father, as I struggle through this thirst. My soul—my entire body—thirsts for you. Fill me with the fruit of your Spirit and help me taste rivers of living water. Thank you, Father. It is in Jesus’ mighty name I pray.
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. It’s not like the Father doesn’t already know how we’re feeling. Let us turn to Him as David did:
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you. - Psalm 63:1 ESV
2. Remember, when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us in wordless groans that we could never understand but know are powerful. (Romans 8:26)
3. There is absolutely nothing wrong with simply sitting quietly and opening your heart to God’s presence. Imagine Jesus walking into the room and sitting down right across from you.
Photo Credti: ©Unsplash/ Adrian Swancar
Grandchamp is an author and speaker. His book, “In Pursuit of Truth, A Journey Begins,” is an easy-to-read narrative that offers answers to the most common questions new believers and non-believers have about Jesus Christ (Amazon.) Greg speaks on living out our faith in our daily lives – and on creating true disciples of Christ.
Greg doesn’t pretend to be a pastor, a theologian, or a Bible expert, but offers the perspective of an everyday guy on the same journey as everyone else – in pursuit of truth.
Greg can be reached by email or on Facebook @ Greg Grandchamp - Author.
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