When the Well Feels Dry: Walking with God Through Spiritual Dryness

When the Well Feels Dry: Walking with God Through Spiritual Dryness

Every believer, no matter how mature, will experience seasons when God seems distant and prayer feels like talking into the air. These times of spiritual dryness can be deeply discouraging, but they are also common to the Christian life. Scripture, history, and experience all remind us that faith is not always about what we feel—but about what and who we know to be true.

Spiritual Dryness in Scripture

Even the heroes of faith endured spiritual droughts.

David, a man after God’s own heart, cried out,

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?”
(Psalm 13:1)

David knew what it was to feel abandoned by God, yet his psalms often end with renewed trust:

“But I have trusted in Your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5)

Likewise, Job, though blameless, went through a season where God’s presence seemed hidden:

“Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!” (Job 23:3)
Yet Job continued to affirm,
“He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Even the prophet Elijah, after great spiritual victory at Mount Carmel, fled in despair and asked that he might die (1 Kings 19:4). God’s response was not condemnation, but gentle restoration—food, rest, and a whisper rather than a storm.

These examples remind us: feeling far from God does not mean we are far from God.

The Walk of Faith Is Not Built on Emotion

Faith is not an emotional high—it is a steady trust rooted in truth. Emotions are gifts from God, but they make poor foundations for faith.

Jesus Himself warned against a shallow response to God’s Word:

“The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.” (Luke 8:13)

The emotional joy was real—but without depth of understanding, it faded under trial.

The apostle Paul wrote that true transformation comes through renewing the mind:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Our relationship with God grows deeper as we know Him more truly. Feelings may come and go, but knowledge and trust in God’s unchanging character sustain us through the dry seasons.

What to Do in the Dry Times

1. Keep seeking God’s presence through His Word.
   The psalmist confessed,

   “My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:25)
   When your heart feels cold, Scripture is the steady flame that rekindles faith.

2. Pray honestly, even when it feels mechanical.
   God does not despise honest prayers. David and Job both poured out their hearts, frustration and all. Prayer is not a performance—it’s relationship.

3. Stay in community.
   Isolation intensifies dryness. Surround yourself with other believers who can encourage and remind you of truth. The body of Christ exists so that “we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:12).

4. Remember that growth often happens underground.
   A tree in winter looks lifeless, yet its roots are deepening. God often works most profoundly in unseen seasons.

The Experience of Other Christians

History testifies that even the most devoted saints have walked through dry valleys.

• C.S. Lewis described his own feeling of divine silence after his wife’s death: “When you are happy... you will be welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate... and what do you find? A door slammed in your face.” Yet through honesty and perseverance, Lewis found renewed faith.

• Charles Spurgeon—known as the “Prince of Preachers”—confessed to deep depression and feelings of abandonment by God. Still, he clung to the truth of Scripture: “When you cannot trace His hand, trust His heart.”

• Mother Teresa, in her private letters, revealed decades of inner dryness, yet her faithfulness never wavered. Her obedience testified that love for God is not dependent on emotion but on devotion.

These testimonies remind us that spiritual dryness is not a sign of failure, but of being refined. God uses the desert to teach us dependence and deepen our faith.

Faith Beyond Feelings

The psalmist once cried,

“Why are you cast down, O my soul?... Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” (Psalm 42:5)

That is the voice of a believer preaching truth to his own heart. When feelings fade, faith reminds us: God has not changed.

Our walk with God is not built on how close He feels, but on who He is—faithful, loving, and true. Emotions are the waves; God’s Word is the anchor.

So if you find yourself in a long dry season, take heart. You are in good company with David, Job, Elijah, and countless others. The well may feel dry, but the Living Water still flows. Keep trusting, keep seeking, and one day, as the psalmist said, “You have turned my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30:11)—He will do it again.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)