Empty Void.

[Jewlz]

Ever felt like you have no hope whatsoever in life spiritually and mentally? You pray and read your bible, listen to christian music to uplift your spirit to feel that empty void you have but for some reason it just doesn't work out?

[Timmy]

Originally Posted by Jewlz

Ever felt like you have no hope whatsoever in life spiritually and mentally? You pray and read your bible, listen to christian music to uplift your spirit to feel that empty void you have but for some reason it just doesn't work out?

Yes.

[scotty]

It happens.

[Sam]

David Wilkerson addressed this in his online devotion for today:

Going Through A Dry Spell
David Wilkerson

Even though I preach to thousands, there are times I feel very dry, far away from the warm presence of God. When I’m dry and empty, I have no great yearning to read the Word and little compulsion to pray. I know my faith is intact and my love for Jesus is strong, and I have no desire to taste the things of this world. It’s just that I can’t seem to touch God for days, maybe even weeks.

Have you ever watched other Christians get blessed while you feel nothing? They testify of God’s answers to their prayers and shed tears of joy. They seem to live on a mountaintop of happy experiences while you just plod along, loving Jesus but not setting the world on fire.

I believe all true believers experience dry spells at various times in their Christian lives. Even Jesus felt the isolation when he cried aloud, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”

Without the nearness of God, there can be no peace. The dryness can be stopped only with the dew of his glory. The despair can be dispelled only by the assurance that God is answering. The fire of the Holy Spirit must heat the mind, body, and soul.

There are times I feel unworthy, like the worst kind of sinner, but in spite of all that, I know he is not far off. Somehow I hear a distinct, small voice calling, “Come, my child. I am aware of all you are experiencing. I still love you and I will never leave you nor forsake you. We will face it together because I am still your Father and you are my child.” I have a flame in me that will not be smothered and I know he will bring me out of any dry spell.

“For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye” (Deuteronomy 32:9-10).

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen” (Isaiah 43:19-20).
..

[ILG]

Yes, I felt like that a lot. Finally, I realized that following the religion I was in was not God's plan for me. Since I left, I feel much better and happier.

[Sam]

I think we've all gone through times when it seems like God is no longer present with us. We don't seem to "feel" His presence. Some used to call this "going through the valley" or "a dry spell." This is the time when we "walk by faith and not by feelings" because we know according to God's Word that He will not abandon us but has promised to be always with us.

I think St. John of the Cross (1542 - 1591) called this "the dark night of the soul."

[ILG]

For some people it is much more than a "dry spell". It is more like a vast barren wasteland where everything needs to be rethought.

[Sam]

Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) addressed it thusly:


God’s Unchanging Word
By Martin Luther

Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving.
My warrant is the Word of God,
Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned,
For want of some sweet token,
There is One greater than my heart,
Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word,
Till soul and body sever,
For though all things shall pass away,
His Word shall stand forever.

[Lafon]

I am persuaded to embrace the belief that when during those times that it seems as if God has "gotten up and walked away from me," (and there have been many such moments, even days, weeks, and sometimes several months during recent times) that it is then I must always be mindful that He is trying and testing my faih in Him, seeking all the while to draw me even closer to Himself.

God didn't "promise me a rose garden," as the song goes, while I am a resident of this earth, but He has given me an assurance that if I "remain faithful unto death," there is a crown of eternal glory which awaits me.

This is why one must never "walk by sight" (this is to say, by focusing solely upon the events which are taking place around them), but "walk by faith" in God, always bearing at the forefront of our minds His promise to "never leave nor forsake thee."

[TheIndependent]

Originally Posted by Jewlz

Ever felt like you have no hope whatsoever in life spiritually and mentally? You pray and read your bible, listen to christian music to uplift your spirit to feel that empty void you have but for some reason it just doesn't work out?

You aren't alone. Even from people who mask their feelings to keep from opening up, they either have or are experiencing a dry spell. It's natural and will happen from time to time. Living for God is not all about the shout and dance that many people have made it out to be. Living in reality means dealing with life, period. God's the ultimate Compass. So, when it feels like you're empty, at a crossroad, or just plain dry, still lean on Him and talk to Him. He's listening...