Latest / Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast / What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Dry or Disconnected from God

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What to Do When You Feel Spiritually Dry or Disconnected from God · Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast

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  Speaker 1: Life Audio.
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  Speaker 2: Have you ever sat down to pray and felt like
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  Speaker 2: your words just hit the ceiling, opened your Bible and
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  Speaker 2: felt nothing stir in your heart, or gone through your
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  Speaker 2: day knowing all the right spiritual things to do, yet
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  Speaker 2: feeling strangely distant from God. If so, let me say
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  Speaker 2: this clearly right from the start, you are not alone
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  Speaker 2: and you are not feeling God. Spiritual dryness is far
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  Speaker 2: more common than we talk about, especially among believers who
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  Speaker 2: genuinely love the Lord and want to walk closely with him.
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  Speaker 2: And yet when it happens, many of us quietly wonder,
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  Speaker 2: what's wrong with me? Why do I feel so disconnected?
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  Speaker 2: Where is God? Today? On your hope field perspective, We're
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  Speaker 2: having an honest, hope field conversation about what to do
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  Speaker 2: when you feel spiritually dry or distant from God, and
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  Speaker 2: how to walk through those seasons without shame, panic, or
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  Speaker 2: self condemnation. Welcome to your hope filled perspective, where it's
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  Speaker 2: always our goal to restore hope, renew minds, and empower
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  Speaker 2: listeners to live in your God given identity. I'm your host,
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  Speaker 2: doctor Michelle bankson Board, certified clinical neuropsychologists, author, speaker, and
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  Speaker 2: companion in your journey to mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.
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  Speaker 2: I'm delighted you've chosen to spend a few minutes of
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  Speaker 2: your week with us. Today we're going to be talking
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  Speaker 2: about what to do when you feel spiritually dry or
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  Speaker 2: disconnected from God. We'll dive in right after this brief
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  Speaker 2: word from our sponsor. Psalm forty two begins with these words,
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  Speaker 2: as the dear pants for streams of water, So my
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  Speaker 2: soul pants for you, my God. But what happens when
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  Speaker 2: your soul doesn't feel like it's panting? What happens when
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  Speaker 2: the longing feels dull, and prayer feels empty, worship feels mechanical,
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  Speaker 2: and God feels far away. Any believers, spiritual dryness is
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  Speaker 2: deeply unsettling. We love God, we trust Him, and yet
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  Speaker 2: our hearts feel strangely disconnected, and often, instead of talking
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  Speaker 2: about it, we hide it. Today, on your hope field perspective,
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  Speaker 2: we're pulling this struggle into the light. We're talking about
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  Speaker 2: why spiritual dryness happens, what it does not mean about
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  Speaker 2: your faith, and how God often meets us in those quiet,
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  Speaker 2: uncomfortable seasons in ways we don't expect. Today we're going
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  Speaker 2: to be talking about what to do when you feel
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  Speaker 2: spiritually dry or disconnected from God and joining me for
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  Speaker 2: today's conversation. He is my co host, Jessica Nrukl. Welcome back, Jessica,
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  Speaker 2: Thank you.
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  Speaker 3: I am so glad to be here, but I'm also
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  Speaker 3: so glad that we're talking about this topic as a
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  Speaker 3: worship pastor. There are days that I take the stage
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  Speaker 3: on a Sunday morning and I feel like a fraud
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  Speaker 3: because my spiritual dry season has lingered longer than a day,
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  Speaker 3: maybe it's into days, weeks, and months.
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  Speaker 1: And the thing that I've learned about.
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  Speaker 3: This is that it's extremely common and it's not something
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  Speaker 3: that we should rationalize or spiritualize either. It's part and
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  Speaker 3: parcel of growing in our faith. So let's begin by
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  Speaker 3: naming something that often goes unspoken. Spiritual dryness does not
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  Speaker 3: mean spiritual failure in season. Yes, amen, it does not
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  Speaker 3: mean spiritual failure. And that's why I said it's part
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  Speaker 3: and parcel of our growing in our faith. There are
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  Speaker 3: seasons when people don't feel far from God because they've
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  Speaker 3: stopped believing. They feel far from God because belief has
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  Speaker 3: stopped feeling like anything. Prayer still happens but it feels thin.
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  Speaker 3: Scripture is still read, but it doesn't land. Worship is present,
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  Speaker 3: but connection feels muted. And what makes this especially disorienting
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  Speaker 3: is that nothing thing obvious is wrong. Life might even
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  Speaker 3: look really stable from the outside, yet internally something feels
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  Speaker 3: quiet in a way that's unsettling.
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  Speaker 2: Today we're talking about spiritual dryness, not as you mentioned.
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  Speaker 2: It's not spiritual failure, it's not a crisis of faith,
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  Speaker 2: and it's really not something to panic over. But we're
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  Speaker 2: going to be talking about it as a developmental moment
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  Speaker 2: in the life of a believer, which already encourages my
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  Speaker 2: heart because I have been there and in those times,
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  Speaker 2: I think it's so human to ask what did I
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  Speaker 2: do wrong? Or to think God must be punishing me
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  Speaker 2: for something, And once I figure it out, then God
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  Speaker 2: will feel close again. So, friends, this episode isn't about
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  Speaker 2: quick fixes. It's really about understanding what's actually happening from
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  Speaker 2: both a spiritual and uneurological perspective when God feels distant
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  Speaker 2: and we want to talk about how to respond without
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  Speaker 2: either trying to force emotion or withdrawing in silence. And
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  Speaker 2: I've done both as a Christian. Clinical neuropsychologist. I've worked
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  Speaker 2: with thousands literally of believers who they love God deeply,
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  Speaker 2: yet they go through seasons when they feel spiritually numb
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  Speaker 2: or disconnected at times. You mentioned yourself as a worship pastor,
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  Speaker 2: and I'm walked alongside pastors and ministry leaders, prayer warriors,
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  Speaker 2: longtime believers, and the thing that I'm coming to understand
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  Speaker 2: is that not one of us really is exempt.
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  Speaker 3: Which is so important to realize because many people assume
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  Speaker 3: that if they're feeling distant from God, it must mean
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  Speaker 3: they're doing something wrong. But the scriptures tell us a
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  Speaker 3: very different story. We see spiritual dryness throughout the Bible.
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  Speaker 3: David cried out, why my soul are you downcast? Elijah
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  Speaker 3: collapsed under despair, and even Joe, righteous and faithful, felt abandoned.
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  Speaker 3: Spiritual dryness is often a season, not a verdict.
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  Speaker 2: Ooh, I like that. Spiritual dryness is often a season, yes,
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  Speaker 2: not a verdict. And I'm so glad that you mentioned
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  Speaker 2: the examples from scripture because i don't know about you,
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  Speaker 2: but when I've gone through those spiritually dry seasons or
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  Speaker 2: when I've felt disconnected from God, there can be a
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  Speaker 2: temptation then to pull away to not read the word
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  Speaker 2: as much because I don't feel like I'm don't feel
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  Speaker 2: like I'm getting anything out of it. And yet there
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  Speaker 2: is comfort in reading about the testimonies of some of
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  Speaker 2: the biblical greats who went through exactly what we're talking about.
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  Speaker 2: And here's something critical to understand. Feelings are not the
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  Speaker 2: same as faith. Yes, God's presence does not fluctuate based
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  Speaker 2: on our emotional experience. So why does spiritual dryness feel
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  Speaker 2: so threatening? And I thought about that in preparation for
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  Speaker 2: this episode, and I think spiritual dryness feels threatening because
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  Speaker 2: many Christians have learned, often unintentionally, to measure spiritual health
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  Speaker 2: by felt closeness. When closeness fades, though, fear steps in.
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  Speaker 3: And then it's almost like if I don't feel it,
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  Speaker 3: something must be wrong exactly, And that's how I felt felt.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we keep saying that word felt, but that
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  Speaker 2: is crucial for really unpacking what it is, where it
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  Speaker 2: comes from, and really how do we get through it.
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  Speaker 2: That fear doesn't come from theology. It comes from wiring.
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  Speaker 2: And what I mean by that is that the human
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  Speaker 2: brain is designed to associate meaning with emotional feedback. So
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  Speaker 2: when something that once produced warmth, peace, or reassurance, and
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  Speaker 2: it's suddenly doesn't. The brain interprets that is loss, even
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  Speaker 2: if nothing has really been taken away. And that's why
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  Speaker 2: spiritual dryness doesn't just feel neutral, it feels alarming. But
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  Speaker 2: here's an important distinction. Absence of emotional response is not
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  Speaker 2: absence of relationship.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so can you say that again. That's really powerful
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  Speaker 1: right there.
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  Speaker 2: Absence of emotional response is not the absence of relationship.
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  Speaker 2: So just because we don't feel close to God doesn't
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  Speaker 2: mean that we don't still have relationship with him.
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  Speaker 1: Yes.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, if we're being honest, every mature relationship eventually
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  Speaker 3: moves beyond constant emotional reinforcement. So before we talk about
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  Speaker 3: what to do when you feel spiritually dry or disconnected
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  Speaker 3: from God, let's talk about common causes of spiritual dryness.
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  Speaker 3: Why does spiritual dryness happen?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think it's important to underscore that often it's
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  Speaker 2: not just one reason. It can be a culmination of
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  Speaker 2: multiple reasons. But when I was thinking about this, and
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  Speaker 2: I was thinking about how I've seen it present in
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  Speaker 2: patients and in myself, frequently a cause of spiritual dryness
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  Speaker 2: is emotional or physical exhaustion. And you and I have
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  Speaker 2: done multiple podcast episodes now about emotional exhaustion, burnout, and
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  Speaker 2: what happens is when we are depleted mentally, emotionally or physically,
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  Speaker 2: our spiritual sensitivity often follows. I think about Elijah. His
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  Speaker 2: breakthrough didn't come through a sermon, It came through sleep
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  Speaker 2: and food. So sometimes the most spiritual thing you can
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  Speaker 2: do is rest and then coming at it from a
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  Speaker 2: clinical standpoint. Another cause of spiritual dryness or disconnected from
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  Speaker 2: God is either chronic stress or trauma. And again we've
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  Speaker 2: had other podcast episodes focusing on chronic stress, and we've
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  Speaker 2: had episodes focusing on trauma. But the thing about that
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  Speaker 2: is that ongoing stress keeps our brain in survival mode.
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  Speaker 2: So when your nervous system is overloaded, stillness with God
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  Speaker 2: can feel inaccessible. And really, so often when we are still,
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  Speaker 2: we're still looking for comfort.
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  Speaker 3: Right, You're so true, And I think of that verse
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  Speaker 3: be still in know that I am God. It doesn't
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  Speaker 3: say be still in a feel that I am God.
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  Speaker 3: It doesn't say be still and have warm, fuzzy feelings.
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  Speaker 3: It doesn't say be still and I feel like you're
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  Speaker 3: in a sitting on a beach. It says to be
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  Speaker 3: still and know that I am God.
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  Speaker 2: It comes back to truth.
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  Speaker 3: It comes back to truth. And so another a third
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  Speaker 3: reason why spiritual dryness can happen is through grief and loss.
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  Speaker 3: Grief often numbs our emotions, including spiritual emotions. That numbness
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  Speaker 3: is protective, not sinful. But the good thing is that
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  Speaker 3: Scripture reminds us that Jesus is acquainted with our grief.
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  Speaker 3: So even in grief and loss, we aren't alone, even
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  Speaker 3: when we feel disconnected.
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  Speaker 2: But I think that's one of those times when maybe
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  Speaker 2: we're even more susceptible to feeling spiritually dry or disconnected,
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  Speaker 2: because when we're grieving or when we've experienced a loss,
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  Speaker 2: we're looking for something else to fill that void, and
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  Speaker 2: we want more than anything to feel God's comfort. And
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  Speaker 2: it's during those times that we have to know his
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  Speaker 2: presence is still constant even when our feelings don't match.
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  Speaker 3: Right, And this leads us into a fourth reason, and
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  Speaker 3: that's unprocessed disappointment with God. Oh yeah, I've been disappointed,
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  Speaker 3: not with who he is, but maybe how he answered
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  Speaker 3: a prayer, whether he said no or not. Yet, sometimes
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  Speaker 3: we don't really feel distant from God, we feel hurt.
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  Speaker 1: We don't know how to.
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  Speaker 3: Say that out loud, But this is what I want
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  Speaker 3: every listener to know. God can handle your honesty. And
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  Speaker 3: the psalms are full of raw, unfiltered prayers. If you're
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  Speaker 3: struggling to express your hurt and disappointment, read a psalm.
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  Speaker 3: It has taught me how to process emotions, and so
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  Speaker 3: turn to the psalms.
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  Speaker 1: All right.
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  Speaker 3: So the fifth reason why we turn, why we experience
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  Speaker 3: these spiritually dry seasons is performance based faith.
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  Speaker 1: If our relationship with.
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  Speaker 3: God drifts from connection to checklists, intimacy often fades. But
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  Speaker 3: let's also talk about what's happening beneath the surface, like
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  Speaker 3: what's happening in our brains during those times we feel
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  Speaker 3: disconnected from God.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I thought you'd never ask. When people are under
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  Speaker 2: prolonged stress, grief, caregiving, strained decision, fatigue, or emotional overload.
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  Speaker 2: Now so many of the topics that we've talked about
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  Speaker 2: recently in podcast episodes. The brain prioritizes function over feeling.
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  Speaker 2: And this isn't pathology, it's protection. Our higher order emotional
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  Speaker 2: integration becomes quieter. It's not gone, it's just quieter. So
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  Speaker 2: in essence, spiritual practices that once felt rich may now
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  Speaker 2: feel effortful, not because they're ineffective, but because the brain
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  Speaker 2: is conserving resources.
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  Speaker 3: So what you're saying is that the dryness isn't necessarily
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  Speaker 3: a spiritual message. It's a nervous system signal.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, oftentimes it is, and when we misinterpret that signal spiritually,
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  Speaker 2: well then we add shame to exhaustion. And this is
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  Speaker 2: where people start striving more prayer, more discipline, more intensity,
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  Speaker 2: which ironically can deepen the sense of distance because really
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  Speaker 2: just forced intimacy rarely restores connection.
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  Speaker 1: Ooh so true.
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  Speaker 3: So we are going to turn to answering the question
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  Speaker 3: what spiritual dryness.
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  Speaker 1: Does not mean.
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  Speaker 3: So we want to be very very clear that spiritual
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  Speaker 3: dryness does not mean that God has left you. It
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  Speaker 3: does not mean your faith is weak, it does not
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  Speaker 3: mean you're being punished, it does not mean you are disqualified,
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  Speaker 3: and it does not mean you've lost your salvation.
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  Speaker 2: And that's such a relief for people to hear. I'm
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  Speaker 2: reminded of the promise in Hebrews thirteen to five, I
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  Speaker 2: will never leave you, nor forsake you, and never doesn't
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  Speaker 2: come with exceptions for emotional numbness.
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  Speaker 1: I'm so glad, I'm so relieved. I like the word never.
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  Speaker 3: It's a great word, especially when we feel numb, especially
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  Speaker 3: when we feel dry, because sometimes God feels silent, not
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  Speaker 3: because he's absent, but because he's inviting us into a deeper,
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  Speaker 3: quieter trust and sow.
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  Speaker 2: Often that feels uncomfortable, but the end result is so
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  Speaker 2: worth it. The problem is we are so pain averse.
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  Speaker 2: We don't want to have to walk through the uncomfortableness
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  Speaker 2: to get to the point where we see the good
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  Speaker 2: that comes from it. But I think it's important that
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  Speaker 2: we talk about an uncomfortable truth that most believers aren't taught,
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  Speaker 2: and that is that God does not sustain our faith
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  Speaker 2: by keeping us emotionally rewarded. There comes a point when
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  Speaker 2: faith matures beyond sensation. This doesn't mean that feelings are bad.
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  Speaker 2: It just means that feelings are no longer the foundation
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  Speaker 2: of our relationship. You know, I liken it too, when
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  Speaker 2: we're dating and we have all the warm, fuzzy feelings
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  Speaker 2: and they feel wonderful and we can't wait to be
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  Speaker 2: with that person again and we don't want to say goodbye.
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  Speaker 2: And then you get married and you still have the
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  Speaker 2: warm fuzzies. But maybe you've been married a couple of
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  Speaker 2: years or five years, you have the children in real
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  Speaker 2: life interfears, and sometimes you just have to continue on
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  Speaker 2: the foundation of the relationship and not rely on the
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  Speaker 2: warm fuzzy feelings in the relationship.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, and actually Scripture prepares us for this, though we
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  Speaker 3: often skim right past it, and it says, blessed are
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  Speaker 3: those who have not seen and yet have believed. This
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  Speaker 3: verse isn't about doubt, It's about trust without reinforcement. Spiritual
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  Speaker 3: dryness often exposes where faith has quietly become dependent on experience,
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  Speaker 3: and that exposure is not condemnation, it's invitation because we
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  Speaker 3: mature spiritually over time like babies. We start with milk
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  Speaker 3: and slowly move on to solid food.
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  Speaker 1: But sometimes we.
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  Speaker 3: Want that warm milk and to be all tucked in
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  Speaker 3: cozy instead of this very diet that we grow up into.
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  Speaker 3: And you see, trust without reinforcement means we take God
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  Speaker 3: at his word. We believe even though we may not see.
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  Speaker 3: We listen for his heart even when we can't hear
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  Speaker 3: his voice. We rest in him rather than in this
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  Speaker 3: frantic search for someone who hasn't left. We've both gone
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  Speaker 3: through dry seasons, and we've learned a few things along
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  Speaker 3: the way. Before we talk about helpful things we've learned
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  Speaker 3: to do when we feel spiritually dry, let's talk about
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  Speaker 3: what not to do. Right after this short break for
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  Speaker 3: a brief word from our.
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  Speaker 2: Sponsor, welcome back to your hope filled perspective, where today
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  Speaker 2: we're talking about what to do when you feel spiritually
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  Speaker 2: dry or disconnected from God. Before the break, we talked
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  Speaker 2: about what is spiritual dryness, where does it come from,
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  Speaker 2: what does it not mean? But let's talk about first
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  Speaker 2: what not to do in dry seasons. We have all
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  Speaker 2: gone through dry seasons, and usually we want those spells
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  Speaker 2: to end as fast as possible. Yes, but I've learned
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  Speaker 2: that there are at least three common responses that actually
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  Speaker 2: prolong those seasons of spiritual dryness. The first that I
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  Speaker 2: can think of is trying to force emotion. Trying to
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  Speaker 2: get back to a feeling usually keeps us focused on
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  Speaker 2: ourselves rather than God. And if we think about the
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  Speaker 2: fact that God wants relationship but he doesn't want hype,
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  Speaker 2: sometimes we will experience that strong, comforting sensation. But God
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  Speaker 2: wants to know or are we going to pursue him
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  Speaker 2: even when that feeling is not there. So let's not
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  Speaker 2: force emotion.
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  Speaker 3: Right And I just wanted to just chime in here
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  Speaker 3: that it's remembering those past emotional experiences are good, but
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  Speaker 3: it's like a once in a lifetime vacation. We can't
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  Speaker 3: expect our present experiences to live up to the embellished
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  Speaker 3: memory of the past. We carry the memories and then
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  Speaker 3: we give room for God to work something new in
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  Speaker 3: our right now.
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  Speaker 2: And I think we need to keep in mind that
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  Speaker 2: a lot of our experiences, whether it be church worship
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  Speaker 2: services or going on and retreat, those can build emotion
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  Speaker 2: and build hype to this climax of sensation that we
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  Speaker 2: feel overwhelmed. We feel overwhelmed by God's presence or his
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  Speaker 2: comfort or his calling, but that's not going to be
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  Speaker 2: what's consistent with our day to day now. Another thing
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  Speaker 2: that I think we need to be careful not to
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  Speaker 2: do when we're trying to restore that connection is not
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  Speaker 2: to withdraw spiritually. Silence can feel safer than disappointment, but
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  Speaker 2: isolation rarely brings clarity. And I remember after my father died,
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  Speaker 2: my earthly father. It wasn't a conscious decision, and I
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  Speaker 2: didn't realize it until years later. But I had adopted
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  Speaker 2: the faulty belief that if my earthly father could leave,
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  Speaker 2: what would prevent God from leaving? And it felt safer
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  Speaker 2: if I walked away God remained there. But I went
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  Speaker 2: through a spiritutual dryness because I kind of turned my
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  Speaker 2: back on God and said, it will hurt less if
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  Speaker 2: I walk away than if you walk away. Well, the
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  Speaker 2: truth is He's not going to walk away. So withdrawing
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  Speaker 2: spiritually is definitely something we don't want to do when
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  Speaker 2: we feel dry.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, because isolation. I see withdrawing spiritually and we withdraw
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  Speaker 3: we almost put ourselves into an isolation. Yeah, And isolation
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  Speaker 3: leads us into a trap where our fears grow louder
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  Speaker 3: in our heads and our hearts, and it's harder to
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  Speaker 3: hear God's whisper.
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  Speaker 2: So good. The third thing that I think we should
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  Speaker 2: not do is interpret dryness as disqualification, and I include
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  Speaker 2: that because I've gone through that. I think many believers
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  Speaker 2: assume that dryness means they're spiritually stuck, immature, or doing
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  Speaker 2: something wrong, or that we're being punished, But none of
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  Speaker 2: those interpretations are required. Dryness doesn't mean regression. In fact,
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: it often signals reorganization. God may be preparing us in
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: that quiet for something new, So don't assume that it
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: means that you're disqualified. In fact, it may mean God
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: is preparing you for the next like of your journey exactly.
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: And I have done all three of these. I have
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: prolonged my dry season by spending too much time looking backward,
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: looking backward with longing at this amazing experience that I
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: missed what God was trying to do quietly in my heart.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: And then when.
• 22:19
  Speaker 3: I withdrew spiritually from God, I experienced the surprising negative
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: result of feeling fishures and actually disconnected in my people
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: to people relationships. And then I disqualified myself because I
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: wouldn't listen to reason. I'd have a friend who was
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: trying to encourage me, and I just kept saying no, no, no,
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: what you say applies to you, but not to me,
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: because I wouldn't listen to the words of encouragement that
• 22:46
  Speaker 3: she was offering to me. And all three of these, frankly,
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: are common experiences. And if you are experiencing these, please
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: hear us. We're not trying to add more bird into
• 22:58
  Speaker 3: your shoulders. We're trying to show you that we've been
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: where you are, and we're here as signposts to point
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: the way forward. So now that we've discussed three things
• 23:10
  Speaker 3: that we've learned not to do, let's consider how we
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: can respond to spiritual dryness or disconnection from God in
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: a more appropriate manner.
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: Okay, so what do we do when we're in this place?
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: And this is the part that I think so many
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: people look fit forward too, because we want to do
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: we want to get through, we want to reclaim that
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: connection that we previously felt. Okay, there are some things
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: that you can do, but not from a performance standpoint.
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: So the first thing to do is to stop forcing feelings.
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: God is not waiting for you to manufacture passion. What
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: He's looking for us, for us to show up.
• 23:55
  Speaker 3: Honestly, Yes, and God, I almost want to say that
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: not having passion is a feeling. Not feeling anything is
• 24:03
  Speaker 3: still a feeling. God made us this whole person, not
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: in fragments labeled good or bad. Feelings are both and
• 24:11
  Speaker 3: and both kinds.
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: Have a purpose.
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: So what if we brought our numb selves to God
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: and said, here I am, I'm exhausted, worn out, and
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: annoyed by the tag in my sweater? What do you
• 24:23
  Speaker 3: want from me? And then he would say I want you,
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: all of you. So then we can take this single
• 24:32
  Speaker 3: honest sentence like God, I feel far from you, and
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: it can be more powerful than an hour of prayer.
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: And instead of forcing yourself to reach your Bible every day,
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: set a smaller goal of two or three days, and
• 24:46
  Speaker 3: when you're in the car, turn on the audio Bible
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: option in the You version Bible app or listen to
• 24:52
  Speaker 3: one of the songs from the weekend worship set from
• 24:55
  Speaker 3: your church, or look.
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: Up the lyrics and read them like a poem.
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: What I hear you saying is to shift from quantity
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: to quality being honest. It doesn't mean that you have
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: to be engaged in an hour of Bible study. Sometimes
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: when you're spiritually dry, that will push you further away
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: trying to live up to an expectation. But those honest,
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: simple prayers. My third recommendation would be anchor yourself in truth,
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: not emotion. So even when you don't feel close, speak
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: truth out loud, recite His promises, and let the truth
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: of those promises rule over your emotions. There was a
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: time in my life where I felt spiritually disconnected from God.
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: I was going through a season of depression, and quite honestly,
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: you know, people would say have a good day, and
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: I'd think, what is there good about today? And I
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: forced myself every day to start off declaring a truth,
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: a promise from God. That's why I wrote the devotional
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: today is going to be a good day, ninety promises
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: to start your day off right, because I needed to
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: be anchored in truth, not how I was feeling.
• 26:17
  Speaker 3: Oh, I just wanted to just sit there for a minute.
• 26:20
  Speaker 3: God's promises are enough, aren't they?
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: They really are.
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: So our fourth tip is to invite God into the dryness.
• 26:28
  Speaker 3: Instead of praying your way out of dryness, try praying
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: through it. Dry seasons often deepen roots in a way
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: emotional seasons cannot.
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: I kind of.
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: I think of this, and I've told my kids this,
• 26:42
  Speaker 3: God is going to lead us through desert seasons, and
• 26:46
  Speaker 3: we can just run alongside of the desert season saying no,
• 26:50
  Speaker 3: I don't want to go. I don't want to go,
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: but you know what, He's with us in the dryness
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: in the desert seasons, So let's just go through with him.
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: And we can do that by talking to him throughout
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: the day, just saying boy, Lord, birds are really noisy
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: and I can't fall asleep, or wow, traffic is awful today,
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: or wow, look at that spot opened up. Thanks, or oh,
• 27:14
  Speaker 3: thank you for that sunrise, or you know, I don't
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: know how to handle this communication. I need to send
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: an email. Would you help me compose it? And what
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: this does? It helps us look beyond our troubles to him.
• 27:26
  Speaker 3: It's inviting him into our every day and this really
• 27:29
  Speaker 3: does develop an awareness of his presence that deepens the
• 27:33
  Speaker 3: more we do it.
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: You're so right, And I've talked about this on the
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: podcast before, but I refer to that as looking for
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: simple joys, like God has sprinkled joy throughout our day,
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: but so often I don't take the time to see it. Yeah,
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: the sitting where I am, I can see the green
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: leaves on the tree, and it's just so beautiful. I
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: think back to the winter months where it was brown,
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: dead leaves, nothing encouraging it. And so today I can
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: thank God for the beauty of nature. I can thank
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: him for that parking spot that didn't have to be there,
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: but it was there and I could avail myself of it.
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: I can thank him that, Oh, when I looked in
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: the fridge. All the ingredients were there to make my dinner,
• 28:17
  Speaker 2: and I don't have to go to the grocery store.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: It's looking for those simple joys. And I think about
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: when my kids are grateful, when they thank me for
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: doing their laundry or making a meal, or remembering them
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: and texting them that I'm praying for them. That thrills
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: my heart. Yes, I love the thank yous on Christmas morning,
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: but I so delight in their gratitude that how much
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: more does our heavenly Father delight we take the time
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: to notice what He's done for us. The last thing
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: that I would suggest that we do when we're feeling
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: spiritually dry, and this is not an exhaustive list, friends,
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: In fact, we'd like to hear other suggestions that you have,
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: But the last thing that comes to my mind is
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: to tend to your nervous system. Things like sleep, gentle movement,
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: taking the time to breathe deeply, spending time in nature.
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: All these things help regulate the brain and it actually
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: helps create space for spiritual connection and increase our receptiveness
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: to hear from God.
• 29:23
  Speaker 3: Which is amazing, right because when you're in the middle
• 29:26
  Speaker 3: of a spiritual dryness. The last thing you think of
• 29:28
  Speaker 3: is hearing from God because it's like his voice is mute.
• 29:32
  Speaker 3: But this brings so much hope that maybe, just maybe dryness.
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: Can become a gift.
• 29:38
  Speaker 3: Oh yes, some of the deepest spiritual maturity is formed
• 29:43
  Speaker 3: in seasons where God feels quiet. I'm going to challenge you,
• 29:47
  Speaker 3: instead of wishing away this dry season, to look at
• 29:50
  Speaker 3: it as a gift, because dryness strips away performance based faith,
• 29:55
  Speaker 3: emotional dependency, and shallow theology, and it replaces them with perseverance, trust,
• 30:04
  Speaker 3: and anchored hope.
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: So it's like roots growing underground where no one sees exactly.
• 30:11
  Speaker 3: And just because you can't see growth doesn't mean that
• 30:13
  Speaker 3: God isn't working. Some of the strongest believers that I've
• 30:16
  Speaker 3: known didn't grow.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: Because God felt close.
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: They grew because they learned to trust God when he
• 30:23
  Speaker 3: felt quiet.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: And it requires we keep showing.
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: Up and friends, if God feels distant right now, resusts
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: the urge to diagnose yourself, to blame yourself, to shame yourself. Instead,
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: consider this, what if this season isn't about fixing your
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: faith but strengthening its foundation. Faith that endures silence is
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: not weaker faith. It's anchored faith. So justs as we
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: wrap this episode up, if a listener or a viewer
• 30:56
  Speaker 2: is resonating with our conversation today, maybe they've been feeling
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: spiritually dry or disconnected from God. What hope filled perspective
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: would you want to leave them with?
• 31:05
  Speaker 3: Well, I would like to leave you with this that
• 31:09
  Speaker 3: a bamboo tree looks like nothing is happening for years,
• 31:13
  Speaker 3: but around year four it enters a growth spurt. Much
• 31:16
  Speaker 3: was happening beneath the surface that our physical eyes cannot see.
• 31:20
  Speaker 3: And I want you to remember that much is happening
• 31:23
  Speaker 3: in your life too, even if it doesn't look like it.
• 31:26
  Speaker 3: God makes a way, even if it doesn't look like it.
• 31:29
  Speaker 3: He tends to our hearts, even if it doesn't look
• 31:31
  Speaker 3: like it. He turns deserts into beauty. So today, keep
• 31:35
  Speaker 3: the faith and hold on to courage.
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: Keep the faith and hold on to courage. That's good, friends.
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: I would offer that if you're feeling spiritually dry today,
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: hear this. God is not disappointed in you. Yeah, and
• 31:49
  Speaker 2: he is near. Isaiah forty one ten says, so do
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed,
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: for I am your God. But both USA and I
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: have been in that spiritually dry place and it can
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: feel lonely and it can feel like we're unseen. So
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: I just want to pray for you Lord, for every
• 32:10
  Speaker 2: listener or viewer who feels weary, numb, or distant from you.
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: Would you gently remind them that you are still present,
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: meet them not in pressure, but in your peace. Restore
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: their souls in your timing and in your way in
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: Jesus name, I pray Amen. Friends, thank you for joining
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: us for this episode of your Hope Filled Perspective. If
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: this conversation names something that maybe you've struggled to articulate,
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: I hope it offered clarity rather than pressure. And if
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: you know someone who's been feeling spiritually dry or disconnected
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: from God, please consider sharing this episode with them to
• 32:49
  Speaker 2: give them a biblically based hope Field perspective to encourage
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: them in their faith journey. If you are a regular
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: listener or viewer of your Hope Field Perspective, we would
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: love it if if you'd give this episode a thumbs
• 33:01
  Speaker 2: up and consider subscribing so you'll know each time we
• 33:05
  Speaker 2: drop a new hope Field perspective to encourage your day
• 33:09
  Speaker 2: until we're together for our next episode. Friends, stay curious,
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: stay honest, and keep showing up. In the meantime, It's
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: my prayer for you that you have a hope filled week.
• 33:24
  Speaker 4: Everyone experiences pain at times. It can manifest physically, emotionally, relationally,
• 33:32
  Speaker 4: or spiritually. It can follow tragic accidents, great loss, sudden betrayal,
• 33:39
  Speaker 4: or unexpected and unwanted change. Often pain is temporary, but
• 33:44
  Speaker 4: what do you do when it isn't? When pain won't
• 33:47
  Speaker 4: go away, healing does not come, and grief and hurt
• 33:52
  Speaker 4: settle in to stay. Drawing on her experience of chronic
• 33:56
  Speaker 4: pain in her years as a board certified clinical neuropsychologist,
• 34:00
  Speaker 4: doctor Michelle Bankson provides a countercultural perspective on pain, offering
• 34:06
  Speaker 4: hope without any false promises or empty platitudes. Doctor Benkson
• 34:11
  Speaker 4: unwraps the complex emotional aspects of dealing with pain. She
• 34:16
  Speaker 4: gives you permission to question God, helps you identify the
• 34:19
  Speaker 4: lies you've believed about your pain, and reorients your perspective
• 34:24
  Speaker 4: based on the truth of God's word. Each chapter ends
• 34:28
  Speaker 4: with a recommended playlist, reflection questions, and a prayer. Your
• 34:33
  Speaker 4: pain may not change, but your experience with it can.
• 34:37
  Speaker 4: Doctor Sondra Dalton Smith, physician, best selling author and a
• 34:43
  Speaker 4: host of the I Choose My Best Life podcast, had
• 34:47
  Speaker 4: this to say about the Hem of His Garment. Doctor
• 34:51
  Speaker 4: Michelle Bankson is honest and transparent, and she gives the
• 34:55
  Speaker 4: reader permission to ask hard questions and practical guidance on
• 34:59
  Speaker 4: how to seek God during times when you feel the
• 35:01
  Speaker 4: most wounded. A beautiful gift for every person living with pain.
• 35:06
  Speaker 4: Holy Girth. Best selling author of What Your Mind Needs
• 35:10
  Speaker 4: for Anxious Moments says pain is inevitable, but enduring it
• 35:15
  Speaker 4: alone is optional. Doctor Michelle Bankson is a voice of
• 35:19
  Speaker 4: hope who will speak into your struggles at helping hand
• 35:22
  Speaker 4: who will point you to Jesus and a wise guide
• 35:25
  Speaker 4: who will lead you through what you're facing so you
• 35:29
  Speaker 4: can embrace more of what our good God has for you.
• 35:34
  Speaker 4: Pick up a copy of The Hem of His Garment
• 35:37
  Speaker 4: for you and a friend wherever books are sold.
• 35:44
  Speaker 5: Thank you for joining doctor Bason for your hope fuilled perspective.
• 35:48
  Speaker 5: We hope you are encouraged by her authenticity, vulnerability, and
• 35:52
  Speaker 5: biblical truths. If you enjoy today's conversation, when you take
• 35:56
  Speaker 5: a moment right now, open up your podcast app and
• 36:00
  Speaker 5: look for the subscribe button right next to our podcast
• 36:02
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• 36:12
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• 36:15
  Speaker 5: a topic for a future show, reach out to our
• 36:17
  Speaker 5: staff at info at Hope Prevails dot org for additional resources.
• 36:22
  Speaker 5: Information about doctor Bankson's books where free downloads, or to
• 36:26
  Speaker 5: contact her to speak at your next event, Please visit
• 36:30
  Speaker 5: doctor Michelbe dot com. Until next time, May you have
• 36:34
  Speaker 5: a hope filledweek.
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: I'd like to take just a second to thank the
• 36:41
  Speaker 2: team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: this podcast. If you go to lifeaudio dot com, you'll
• 36:47
  Speaker 2: find dozens of other faith centered podcasts in their network.
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: They've got shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more.