When Every Well Is Dry: Finding God in Spiritual Hunger
Have you ever been in a place where everything just feels dry and empty? Where you are hungry and thirsty for the presence of God but it seems like every well you turn to is dry and every pot is empty? What happens in those moments? What happens when you can feel your spirit crying out for more but you just can’t seem to fill it? What do we do when everything we have been taught to do leaves us with less energy and still no resolve?
What do we do? We wait.
I know how this answer sounds. It sounds painful and exhausting. But what if waiting and desire are all part of the plan?
There is something about being hungry that awakens you to how much you need God. But there is something even more about starving that makes you realize you can’t live without Him.
With each day that passes, the hunger deepens, the flesh dies off, and the spirit inside you gets louder. You may temporarily find things to satisfy you for the moment, but you find yourself hungry again. It isn’t long before those things no longer satisfy you. You need more. You know you need more. So you go to the One who satisfies you. But it’s hard. He’s close, but He seems hard to reach. What do you do now? You know what you need but you just can’t seem to get to Him.
Friend, you stay there. You wait. You run to the Father again and again, and you keep running. You don’t lose focus on what you need because with each passing moment your realization of how much you need Him gets deeper. Your desire for Him grows stronger and your understanding of the importance of being full of His Spirit becomes the reality He has been wanting to show you.
Life often brings distractions we don’t even see coming. Little things that temporarily fill us. We take them in because they seem good. They feel good. But soon there is more of that than there is of the sustaining power of God. Our children, our home, our church, our jobs, our good works, these are all good things and part of the mission of the Church. But are these things filling you up and taking all of your time, or are they leaving you tired and burnt out?
When trouble comes in the midst of doing these things, do you feel the strength of God rise up inside of you and overtake the situation? Or do you feel knocked down and heavy?
Personally, I can say I have felt both, and the difference is unbelievable. Knowing that makes me desire the consistent filling of God in my life even more. There is something about desire that deepens your appreciation for what you cannot acquire on your own.
If you are in a place where you desire more of God but you can’t seem to get enough of Him to satisfy you, I want to encourage you. This is in no way to condemn you. In fact, I can transparently say that I have walked this in my life recently, and not just for the first time. We all fall into this place at some point in our walk with the Lord. But don’t give up. Keep coming to Him with your bowl emptied out and let Him fill it. When He does, don’t let yourself be satisfied and stay away. Eat and return to Him with your bowl and let Him fill it again.
Fill your storehouse so that you will never go hungry again. God will NEVER leave you, but He will do what He sees fit to cause you to realize that you need Him today and every day.
Can I pray for you?
Dear Lord,
I pray for my dear friends. You know this walk they are on. You know their level of hunger. Deepen their desire for Your sustaining power and strengthen them by the power of the Holy Spirit while they seek You. Don’t let confusion or doubt set in. Don’t let the lies of the enemy tell them they have fallen too far from You. Don’t let the enemy make them believe that they have failed You.
They have not failed You. You do not see failure. You see Your child, and You so desperately want them to come to You. Draw them, Lord, to Your presence and fill them. You alone are worthy. You alone are good. You alone are all we need. Thank You for the desire that leads us to You. Be with each of us as we walk in Your will today and every day.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I pray this blesses you. Often we ask you to reply to emails, and this one is no exception. Why do we do that? It isn’t to make us feel good or to pat us on the back. What we do here is for God and for you, and we want to make sure you continue to be blessed.
