Is it normal to feel spiritually dry even when I’m doing all the “right” Christian things?
Yes! Just as it is normal to expect a dying plant to wither when fed nothing but vinegar all the time. Do you have any of these symptoms?
- an intense longing within
- easily distracted during reflection
- a strong sense of being “abandoned to faith”
- a lack of passion for worship
If so, then it is time to assess what & why you are being consistently fed with ‘vinegar’. I can tell you now that the cause is self-inflicted. Consider this verse.
God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. (Psalm 68:6)
The Lord will always bless the downtrodden, but He can’t help those who knowingly dwell in arid situations. This could even happen when Christians are doing the “right” thing. You go to any church anywhere in the world and you will find christians busy in a ministry but stressing out and eventually acting out. I’ve talked to many of them and the most common denominator amongst them was that their focus was so much on the ministry that they forgot to keep their eyes on God.
So, ask yourself, do you want to linger any longer in spiritual dryness? So get ready to work hard. I mean, that you strive your way out of it. It will not be easy. No matter what, refocus yourself and keep it on Him, that is, Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Johann Quisumbing 