7 Ways to Pray Through a Spiritual Dry Spell

In a healthy prayer life, there are times when everything just clicks. The words flow freely from your heart and you feel an immediate and powerful connection with God. During those moments, you may feel wrapped in God’s love, have an understanding of His will, and feel the desire to live it out. But in a healthy prayer life, there also may be times when the words just don’t come, your attention span is scarily short, and prayer itself seems more like a duty than a privilege.

When those times come, rest assured that it’s normal. Remember that your relationship with God is constantly evolving, just like relationships in other aspects your life. In most true friendships, there are times when you will have stimulating discussions that elevate your thinking, moments when you will share uncontrollable fits of riotous laughter, and times when you are content to sit quietly in each other’s company while you watch a favorite TV show. The dynamic, the joyous and the quiet are all essential to building lasting relationships.

Sometimes these prayer dry spells happen when your spiritual life needs to be stretched or refocused. St. Padre Pio offered plentiful advice on praying through these times in letters to his spiritual children when they confessed dull prayer lives or moments of “spiritual aridity.” “True and substantial devotion consists in serving God without experiencing any sensible consolation. This means serving and loving God for His own sake,” he wrote.

How can we learn to pray through these spiritual dry spells when consolation seems so distant? Here are some time-tested practical measures you can take to get you back on track.

1. Break open your Bible. Instead of focusing so much on what you will say to God, take the time to listen to what He is saying to you. Focus on a favorite passage or read something unfamiliar and reflect on its meaning in your life.
2. Speak From Your Heart. Instead of focusing on the words of a prayer that has become routine, open up and simply have a conversation with God. Tell Him about your day, about your hopes, your dreams, and your fears. Thank Him for what has gone right, and entrust to Him what you think is going wrong.
3. Pray a New Way. We all have favorite prayers and comfortable ways of praying. Sometimes breaking out of your comfort zone and putting a focused effort into saying a new prayer or completing a different practice will have you looking at your prayer life in a whole new light.
4. Take Advantage of Technology. Don’t be afraid to use the tools at your disposal to refresh your prayer life. There are lots of apps, prayer sites and email programs – one of my favorites is PrayMoreNovenas.com - that can deliver new insights right to your inbox or social media accounts.
5. Pray With a Friend. There’s a reason Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) There is strength, emotional support and inspiration to be found when friends and family members come together before God in prayer.
6. Take Time for Yourself. There is a power in stillness that few us take the time to realize in the hectic crush of day-to-day living. Make a concerted effort to take the time to nurture your relationship with God in silence. Break away to an adoration chapel, sit quietly in a near-empty church, or take a few moments in a quiet room of your home to focus solely on God. You’ll be surprised to see what a difference this re-centering time makes in your day and in your attitude.
7. Talk to a Priest or Spiritual Advisor. God gave us spiritual leaders to do just that – lead. Ask them for recommendations and be open to where their advice takes your prayer life.

The key is not to get discouraged, because blessings flow when we persevere in prayer.

“The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrifice, and with extreme effort.” – Padre Pio