The Christian faces different seasons at different times in his life. These seasons carry with them different characteristics, and if we face them with the redemptive hand of God in sight and heart, we will learn to grow strong in the faith no matter what we face.
A season of drought
One of the seasons we face as Christ-followers is a dry season. Just like summer, it brings with it a certain dryness that makes one feel tired, famished, and dehydrated. And while many consider entering these seasons as "God's will," there are times where entering such a season is because we stepped into it.
Don't believe me? Here are some reasons why we go through spiritually dry seasons.
1) We disobey God
In Deuteronomy 28, we find blessings for obeying God as well as curses for disobeying Him. One specific effect of disobeying God that stands out to me is what we call a "bronze heaven:"
"The heavens which are over your head will be bronze, and the earth that is under you will be iron." (Deuteronomy 28:23)
Think about that. Dry seasons are usually characterized by unanswered prayers, not to mention lifeless praying. If you experience a dry season, ask yourself if you need to repent of any sin. If you do, please repent. It's for your own good.
2) We don't receive enough nourishment from God's Word and prayer
Dry seasons can also come when we are lacking in the Word of God and prayer. Consider what David said as the answer to a dry season:
"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints for You, in a dry and thirsty land with no water." (Psalm 63:1)
When we are in a dry season in our walk with God, let's ask ourselves if we spend enough time in prayer, Bible reading (and obeying), and worship. If we don't, let's seek God and be refresh by Him.
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul..." (Psalm 23:1-3)
3) We are transitioning from one season to another
In 1 Kings 17 we read Elijah being fed by God using ravens and the Kerith brook's own water. Later we read that he went to the widow of Zarephath, who would feed him with bread using her last supply of flour and oil. Now what happened between the time of Elijah's stay in the brook and his meeting with the widow?
The brook dried up.
"After some time, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. The word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there. I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."" (see 1 Kings 17:7-9)
Some dry seasons happen because we need to move from one point to another in our walk with God. There are times when we feel like we're not growing, and even after giving more time to serve in church or in Bible study, we still find ourselves longing for something more.
When this happens, maybe we should try to consider that we should be doing something else or going somewhere else. Like Elijah, maybe God is calling us to move forward to a new thing – and a deeper understanding of who He is in our lives.
