A:
Recently, I went through a series of losses, job changes, relational brokenness, and weariness. Nothing seemed to be working. I was disappointed in the church, my circumstances, myself, and ultimately God. The disappointment grew into disillusionment and the delight I once had faded.
It doesn’t take any effort to get into a spiritual rut. And, relationships suffer when the dynamics are stifled by the same old routine day after day - especially the same old damaging thought patterns. My walk with God mirrored the church at Ephesus. They were hard working, discerning, and persevering; but they had lost their first love. Jesus told them to remember, repent, and do the deeds they did at first (Rev. 2:2-5).
When we get mired in a spiritual rut, we need to work our way out by asking soul questions: Has something died, been wounded, or disappointed? Did we shut down somewhere with God? Or maybe we’re angry with God, but afraid to express it.
Sometimes the rut means we need to redirect. We often reduce spiritual growth to acquiring more knowledge about Scripture or doctrine, but these alone won’t improve our relationship with God or yank us out of our spiritual rut. Relationships thrive on interaction.
In the past, where or how did you best experience God’s presence? One retreat center I visited especially spoke to my soul, with its beautiful surroundings to explore God’s world outside, alone, far from my responsibilities as wife, mother, and pastor’s wife. One day a month won’t break the obligation bank.
Be patient with yourself. There’s no shame in spiritual ruts and it takes time to climb out. In the end, a rut becomes a blessing because it leads to change.
Change might break us out of our ruts, as well. One year I switched versions of Scripture. God’s Word and presence became new again as I laughed, cried, and grew.
Take your current routine to a new place. Try walking your prayers or praying aloud while you jog or sit on the exercise bike. One woman I know set a goal of going outside for every quiet time during the year. She experienced new aliveness with God.
Or, perhaps you can revisit the quiet part of your quiet time, and instead, make some noise. Read Scripture aloud—hearing and reading it at the same time does something different to our receptivity and reaches more deeply into our soul. Add feeling to the reading, as though you were in a speech or drama class, and see what a difference it makes in how your soul responds to the Word.
And, please be patient with yourself. There’s no shame in spiritual ruts and it takes time to climb out. In the end, a rut becomes a blessing because it leads to change.
Here are some ideas to rekindle that spiritual fire in your soul:
- Experience creation. Take a walk outdoors and meditate on His wonders (Psalm 19:1-6).
- Pray using another’s words. Use biblical prayers to jumpstart yours - like David’s in the Psalms.
- Plan a God-hunt. Look for ways the Lord has shown himself throughout the day - answered prayer, encouragement through someone, or a way he used you.
- Use music. Grab the hymnal off the bookshelf and sing your favorites. Memories from the past of God’s faithfulness are resurrected. Meditate on each hymn. Look up Scriptures that come to mind.
- Make a date with God. Light a candle and read an inspirational book or take a day to be alone with Jesus.
- Dress for the occasion. One by one remove the tattered old clothes and put on the right ones created in God’s likeness (Eph. 4:20-24).
- Look at photos. Pray when viewing the photos, enjoy the memories, and then praise God for the gift of family and friends (Psalm 143:5).
- Make use of technology. Feed your soul with an online study.
- Rally the troops. Call on the family of God for prayer (James 5:16).
