I’ve gone through several times in my Christian walk when my faith has flagged. Being close to God became more of a memory, than a reality. During those times I’ve struggled and begged God not to forget me. As if He would. I think that was more a plea for me to be close to Him again.

We all have those times when we aren’t walking as closely with Jesus as we should, or as we could be. There is a dryness to our spirit. Our prayer life can suffer, as can our time of Bible study. 

I am reminded of this when I walk through the desert. The picture at the top of the page is one of the plants I pass each morning. This plant, ephedra viridis, or Mormon tea, looks dead. When I took this picture we had gone months without  rain. Then we had some rain, not a lot but enough to bring this seemingly dead plant back to life. It began to show some green, a glimmer of life.

Going through a spiritual drought is similar to what the ephedra viridis displays. We are lacking the water of life that comes from a close walk with Jesus. For whatever reason, we are no longer connected closely to the Source of life.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, ^“but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

We have the water of life welling up within us, but sometimes life intrudes and pulls us down. We forget the connection we have to Jesus, or it becomes dull due to the circumstances we are facing. Perhaps this happens because whatever we’re experiencing has stolen our moments alone with Jesus.

So how do we get back to the place of closeness? How do we reconnect with Jesus and drink of this water He offers?

There isn’t an easy way when you are far from Him. You have to become determined to mend the rift. Read your Bible every day. Pray daily. This can be a difficult task if  you’re dry as a desert plant in a drought. You may have to sip at the water at first, teaching yourself to drink more deeply as you progress.

I’ve learned that once I renew my Bible study and prayer life, then my spirit blossoms. This doesn’t happen overnight. We don’t lose our closeness all at once and we don’t regain it that way either. It takes drinking in Jesus day after day to come back to where we should be spiritually. 

Below is a picture of the same ephedra viridis as above, only after several rains. It is so green and vibrant, much different than the dead-looking plant from the drought. 

As we work to be close to God, we become more vibrant, displaying our Christianity in our very attitude. Drink in that water of life. Enjoy closeness with Jesus.