Dry seasons. Every Christian that I know has experienced going through a dry season at some time in their Christian life. Why do we go through this painful and dry time in our lives where we don't seem to feel God?
Dear friends, I hope to encourage you in this writing. The Lord Jesus promised something that should take away all the dry seasons in our lives as Christians. It's found in a short conversation He had with someone just like us, a sinner in need of Him. Let's read their conversation:
"Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"
Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."" (John 4:10-14)
Read that last line again. He said the water He gives to us becomes a "fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." When we have this water, we "will never thirst." Why, then, do we experience dry seasons?
Reasons why we go through dry seasons
Let me offer a few possible reasons, reasons that rang true in my life.
Relationships
We have to evaluate the relationships that we have in our lives. Do we put our relationship with God at the top of our list? Do we prioritize our moment-by-moment bonding with Him in Bible reading, prayer, worship, and seeking His face, more than any other relationship, even our relationship with ourselves?
Jesus said the water He gives comes from Him. We won't have it without asking Him. We need to boldly approach the throne of grace (see Hebrews 4:16) and commune with the Lord daily.
Jesus Himself often withdrew from people to spend time with His Father. Who are we to think that we can do otherwise?
Religion
This is a common mistake. I've known many Christians who, at some point in their lives, experienced such dryness. These guys seemed religious: they were always in church, always in ministry, but they lacked one thing. They lacked relationship. To them, Christianity was a religion, a list of things to do and rules to keep.
Back then, Christianity was just a religion for me. I was comfortable going to church and serving in ministry, until the time came when I felt like I was missing out on God. I treated church as though the church were God. I was wrong.
God is a person, not a religion. Cultivate a relationship with Him. "[I]t is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (see Luke 12:32). Seek Him.
Obedience
Lastly, we should obey God. Jesus, the Son of God, obeyed His Father the whole time. Obedience to the Father was higher than food and comfort in His to-do list, hence His words,
"My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." (see John 4:34)
So how do we obey the will of God? We read His word and obey it. When we do, we are assured that He is with us. Jesus Himself said,
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (see John 14:23)
Seek Him
Friends, if ever you experience dry seasons in your walk as a Christian, check yourself in the areas that I mentioned. Evaluate your pursuit of your relationship with God. See if you've prioritized ministry or doing more than your relationship with God. Evaluate your Bible-reading habits and your obedience to God's word.
Remember, the water that Jesus Christ gives makes us thirst no more.
