You don’t need to start over. You need God to light the fire again.
Fires start when brush is dry. Being dry isn’t the end of the story. It’s exactly the condition a fire needs, so let the Holy Spirit revive you and start one in you.
One of the most eye-opening things I found was in Psalms. I was listening through the Old Testament and kept hearing David talk about how he loved to meditate on God’s Word and read God’s law. Think about that. God’s law is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Have you ever read those books? They get dry. But what did David say? But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. That’s Psalm 1:2, and he keeps saying it. In Psalm 119 he says O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
So I just started asking God, please show me how to delight in your law and take pleasure in spending time with you. And then I got deeper into God’s Word. I’ll tell you, right after that my faith began to be tested, and it’s been a blast. Scary at times, but God’s in control.
Being dry usually doesn’t mean God walked away. Most of the time it means we stopped showing up. The Bible sat closed for a week, then a month. Prayer turned into a quick word before meals. Church became something we attend instead of people we’re part of. Nobody plans to end up there. It happens slowly, and the way back works the same way, one day of showing up at a time.
If you feel dry, if you feel like God isn’t answering your prayers, if you feel like your life is lacking, let me encourage you. Find out what it means to delight in the law of the Lord. Pray what David prayed: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Ask God to revive your spirit again and to challenge your faith. It won’t happen overnight, but if you’re consistent, it will happen. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. That’s James 4:8, and it’s a promise.
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