Welcome to Ask the Church, our video series where we seek to answer your questions about church worship, practice, and theology in under five minutes.
Today’s question is about the devotional life in times of spiritual dryness.
Here’s the question in full:
“What is your advice for a Christian who sometimes loses interest in reading the Scriptures? Is it normal for a child of God to lose a hunger for His Word? Although I’m careful to regularly set aside time in the morning and evening for prayer and study of Scripture, sometimes, often for weeks or months on end, I feel like I’m just going through the motions. This can continue for some time, until a pattern in life changes, or a particularly timely sermon hits home in a unique way on Sunday morning. After that, there’s often a season of richness, though these seasons are typically followed by yet another spell of just going through the motions. How unusual is this? What does a healthy Christian devotional life look like? What are the signs that one’s devotional life is unhealthy or in danger?”
Seasons of Dryness Are Normal
I wanted to share that in full because I think it resonates with many of us. And it’s important at the outset just to say: it is normal for Christians to go through times of spiritual dryness.
It’s also normal to go through times of dryness in every sphere of life. C. S. Lewis used the phrase “peaks and troughs” to describe this. There are moments when things are vibrant and exciting and we desire them with our whole heart, and there are moments when it feels like all we can do is will ourselves to keep going.
That’s true of our devotional life, but also of things like exercise, reading, or playing the piano. Desires ebb and flow. Ordinary things—being tired, eating poorly, being busy—can affect our spiritual energy.
It’s simply evidence that we are created beings, that we are not self-sufficient.
Longing for Longing
It’s also important to recognize that the desire to return to a place of eager desire is itself a grace.
In other words, being discontent with dryness is a sign that God is at work in you. People who don’t care at all about being spiritually dry—that’s when you should worry.
But if you find yourself frustrated because you don’t long for God as much as you once did—if you find yourself longing for the longing of the presence of God—that very longing is itself evidence of God’s grace.
Perseverance in Dryness
So, what do we do in those moments? The basic advice is: keep going.
Perseverance is an undervalued virtue for most of us, but it is central to the Christian life. Hebrews emphasizes it again and again (Hebrews 10:36; 12:1). James tells us that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness (James 1:2–4).
Faith is like a muscle—it grows when it’s stretched beyond what it could previously bear. Dry seasons may feel like weakness, but they are often the very times when our faith is growing in perseverance.
It’s good to say out loud that the devotions offered in times of dryness may be the most significant devotions we ever do. They may be the most God-pleasing devotions we ever offer.
Why? Because they are offered in faith, in hope that God will show up—not because we already feel easily satisfied. In other words, the prayers we pray in those moments may be the ones that actually matter most. They may be the ones that please God the most.
Many saints who’ve gone before us have acknowledged that when we continue to seek God in those moments, that’s when the real work begins.
Grace in Ordinary Pleasures
The other piece of advice is this: don’t worry too much about it.
We can aggravate a bug bite by scratching it, and in the same way, sometimes we aggravate spiritual dryness by obsessing over it. Persevere in your prayers and your Scripture reading—but don’t overly fret.
This summer, I was deeply encouraged by Evelyn Underhill, who said that in such moments we should enjoy “soul-healthy” activities—non-devotional activities that are simply good for us.
Go for hikes. Read good novels. Garden if you like to garden. Exercise. Be creative—sew, cook, do woodworking, make music. Do things that are good for your soul, even if they aren’t explicitly devotional.
Say your prayers, keep reading Scripture, and then instead of worrying about the time of dryness, go do something delightful that nourishes your soul.
God often relieves the burden of dryness through the most ordinary gifts of life. A day in the garden may be the healthiest thing for your soul.
I hope this answer helps.
As always, if you have other questions, send them to steven@incarnationrichmond.org.
And now, go in the grace of our Lord.