A Prayer to Overcome Spiritual Drought
By Laura Bailey
Bible Reading
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20 NIV
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“I am not sure what’s wrong with me; I just don’t feel like reading my Bible. I don’t desire to do anything related to praying, church, and God,” I admitted to a friend over coffee one morning. My usual zeal and spiritual fervor were replaced with dullness and apathy. Not a great place to be as the women’s leader of my church, Christian writer and Bible teacher, and generally someone people go to for spiritual guidance when they are struggling. I’d tried all the things I encouraged others with. I set my mind to “ fake it till you make it,” trudging through my daily Bible reading, offering a quick prayer over my meals, and faithfully attending corporate worship.
It wasn’t that I’d rejected God, but I just lost my fire, my passion for the Church. Sensing my spiritual slide, my friend and sister in Christ asked me for coffee, and I was grateful she did. We talked through a few situations that were causing me particular disappointment, grief, or frustration. She listened intently, not with a critical ear but with a heart of compassion. After a few minutes of talking, she grabbed my hand and said, “ I know how you may feel today, but I want to remind you that God still loves you and is patiently, graciously waiting for you to return to Him.”
I couldn’t control the tears in the corners of my eyes; my weary soul desperately needed to hear that reminder. In my sharing, I never mentioned that deep down, I’d felt I was a disappointment to God. Each day I struggled, I convinced myself that the Lord was angry and frustrated with me, making it even more difficult to regain my spiritual footing. I think about our key verse in Revelation 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” A few verses earlier, John writes to the church of Laodicea, warning them about their lukewarm faith. He admonishes them to wake up and change because if not, the Lord will “spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).
This verse is often applied to unbelievers, but the context is more to a church or body of people who have become apathetic in their faith. Jesus, though he could quickly force himself or demand the church turn back to Him, waits patiently for an invitation in. If the church at Laodicea had invited Jesus to fellowship with him, no matter their past actions, He would have joined them in fellowship. However, the church as a whole continued to harden their hearts, but Jesus’ message is that anyone willing to hear and receive these words in Revelation 3:15-21, He will commune with them.
The main takeaway from these verses, and what helped me move from a spiritual drought to abundance, was that Jesus will restore us no matter what we’ve done or how far we’ve tried to run from His presence if we are willing to turn to Him and obey. So many of us are simply going through the motions. We’ve allowed church hurt, unexplained circumstances, and the effects of living in a sinful world to rob us of our joy in Christ. And, our enemy desires nothing more than to keep us in that place, filling our hearts and minds with lies to further drive us away instead of towards our Savior. But, as long as there’s breath in your lungs, it’s not too late to seek the Lord. He is waiting; you just have to open the door and let him in.
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, when we are in a season of spiritual drought, let us seek out your comfort and peace. We rebuke the enemy's lies and ask that you help us see his schemes clearly and fight with biblical truth. Thank you for being patient, loving us unconditionally, and renewing your mercies every morning. We love you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo credit: Patrick Schneider/Unsplash
She lives in Upstate South Carolina with her husband and three young girls, where she serves as director of women's ministries at her church. Her passion is teaching the Bible to women, equipping them to live with an eternal perspective. Invite Laura to speak at your next event or learn more: www.LauraRBailey.com
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Saturday, 09 November 2024.
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