There are times in life when it seems as though your prayers hit the ceiling and go nowhere. That can be an intensley frustrating and dry time. Praying can often become a chore and most difficult. We life in an instant gratification society. Like it or not, we often get pushed into that mold. We expect our prayers to be answered immediately and to our personal satisfaction. Problem is, it doesn't always work that way.
What do I need to do to experience the fresheness that comes.
First realize that spriritual warfare is a reality. The battle that we fight is with powers taht are far beyond ours. By recognizing who our fight is ultimately with, we can tap in to the spiritual resources that guarantee our victory. So, that being said, here are 4 hints to overcome the dry times in prayer.
Pray anyhow. The temptation when prayer gets difficult is to simply stop praying. This is absolutely the worst thing that we can do in our spirit. We disconnect from the one who is the source of life, power and deliverance. Even though we may not feel that anything is going on in us when we are in the dry times, God is working. We must continue to create the environment in which he can most clearly speak and move in our lives. Continue to pray.
Trust God. The dry times shake our faith. It makes us doubt our self, our spirituality, our fitness, and ultimately the love and power of God. Dry times in our life are times when we must most clearly continue to trust in and rest in God. As his disciple, we have faith that at exactly the right moment, he will break through and answer our prayers, deliver us, and minister to us. Dry times are times for unshakeable faith.
Pray Scripture. Dry times are confusing and disorienting. Things that previously made sense, don't. Old ways of coping are challenged. The words that we need often escape us. Simply put, we don't know how to pray. The disicpline of praying scripture, openly, honestly, and obediently often helps us through this difficult time. We can hear God's promises in our lives in fresh new ways. He speaks through the power of his word to reorient our life, our needs, and our hearts. His word lives in us in new ways.
One way that I often tell folks to pray is to look at situations in scripture that mirror your struggle. There is nothing new under the sun. There are parallels in scripture to everything that we go through. Do word searches, character searches, read parables. In short, do anything you can to identify with the biblical message and allow it to invade your space.
Engage a prayer partner. Something powerful happens in us when we partner with another person and link arms through prayer. Faith rises. Hearts are transformed. Find a person who is more mature in your walk. Let them teach you about faith and God's love. Share your heart. Allow them to help you shoulder your burden. Together, you will find your way from the wilderness.
I hope that these thoughts enliven and improve your prayer life!
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