“God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you?” (Psalm 10:1 MSG)We all hit walls at times in our relationship with God. They’re simply a part of the package. Even David, whom the Lord calls “a man after God’s own heart” had times when God seemed very distant. David once prayed to God, “God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you?” (Psalm 10:1 MSG)

Yesterday, I started sharing about the four major problems that tend to derail our time alone with God. I started with the problem of discipline. Today, we’ll look at theproblem of dry spells. I call this one the “battle of the blahs”!

We simply can’t judge our quiet times by emotions. Why? Emotions lie. Feelings come and go. Some days it’ll feel like heaven just opened up for you, and you have a great time with God. Then there are other days your quiet time will seem ordinary and bland. Don't expect to have great and glorious experiences every single morning. The issue is consistency.

Yet, if you are having a long period of dryness in your quiet time, you might look at one of these possible causes:

• Unconfessed Sin: God isn’t going to show you anything new until you do what he has already shown you.
• Physically Unprepared: If you’re tired or stressed, it can be hard to have a fresh quiet time.
• Trying Too Much: Pick chunks of Scripture that are too large, and you’ll rush your time with God. You never want to put yourself in a situation where you hurry God.
• Routine: If you do the same thing every time, your quiet time will turn legalistic. Experiment with some fresh ideas. Mix up your quiet time.
• Not Sharing Your Insights: If you’re not putting into practice what God is teaching you, your spiritual life is bound to grow stale.

Spiritual dryness may be common, but it doesn’t have to be incurable. Ask God where your dryness comes from, and let him help you turn things around.

Talk About It

• How can you better prepare for your quiet time so that you are not tired or stressed when you are trying to focus on God’s Word?

• What are some of the methods or ideas that you’ve learned from the last week of these devotionals that might help you mix things up in your quiet time?