I tweeted earlier today that I’m going through a bit of a dry spell spiritually. Don’t get me wrong. I know that Jesus is Lord and that God’s still on the throne. It’s just that my prayer life seems a little lackluster to me these days. It happens to everyone that’s walked with God and there’s no shame in it. Like anything else, you can just sort of find yourself there one day.  The truth, however, is that you don’t have to stay there. You can take some steps to change the situation. Here are 3.5 things to do if you find yourself in the similar situation.

1. Face It Head On: Don’t deny it or pretend it’s not happening. Acknowledge it. Admit it to yourself and, more importantly, admit it to God. Ask Him for His help in overcoming it. So often we try to pretend things are better than they are because we think that’s what good Christians do. That’s actually very counterproductive. The best thing to do is to admit it’s there and start working on turning it around. Ask the Father to show you if there is anything in your life that’s cutting you off from Him. (That’s not always the case but it could be.) Ask Him to come in fresh and bold ways in your prayer life too. Tell God that you desire to hear from Him more than anything else. (That’s the posture your heart should have.)

2. Spice It Up: Sometimes your prayer life is boring because you’re stuck in boring prayer ruts. You pray the same thing, in the same place, in the same way every day. You need to vary it up a bit. Start journaling if you’ve never done that or stop journaling for a while if you have. Write your prayers out or say them out loud. Go to a park to pray or even a different room in the house. Get a new translation of the Bible to study or get some new music that motivates you to seek God. These little tricks may not work but I’ve been amazed at how often they do help jump start my prayer life back into gear.

3. Read to Revive: I’ve never known a prayer “drought” that didn’t come hand in hand with a “famine” of Bible reading, mediation and study.  Let me be clear.  The greatest way I know to break the power of spiritual drought and famine is the read, study and mediate on the Bible.  Of course, this too can get dry at times so you’ve got to put some energy into it.  As I mentioned above, one of the things that has worked well for me in the past is to get a new Bible.  I get different translations, different sizes, different commentaries.  I get whatever it takes to help get me interested in the Word and reading again.  You can also vary up what you’re studying.  You could do a character study or study just the words of Christ or study a specific topic.

3.5. Never Give Up: This is the biggest key of all.  You simply can’t give up.  The stakes are too high.  You’ve got to keep working at it and trying everything you can to break through so that you will experience your breakthrough.  Don’t give in.  Don’t give up.  Just keep going.  Keep investing in it and you will soon experience the joy of dynamic times of prayer and Bible study.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go and start reading my new Bible.