No matter how much you love Jesus, you’ve probably been through dry seasons in your faith.
No matter how much you want to be on fire for the Lord, there will be times you don’t feel like praying and you don’t want to open your Bible.
Let’s be real. We’ve all been through dry seasons. We’ve all been through times of our life where we feel like we’re living through a drought. We are thirsty, but we don’t feel the satisfaction of the living water. We are hungry for something more, but nothing seems to fulfill us.
Sometimes, these dry seasons come from tragedies and leave us questioning God’s love. Why does God let bad things happen to those who love Him (a question that never brings a gratifying answer)? How could God take away something or someone that meant so much to you? Has God forsaken us? Why is the world drowning in evil?
Other times, these dry seasons come from stagnant times in our lives. They come in times we just feel stuck, and we feel bored in our faith. Is this all God has for me? Isn’t there something more? God says He’s making all things new… but what’s new in my life?
And other times there’s no real explanation, you’re just going through a hard season in your faith.
Maybe some of you are in a dry season of your faith right at this moment, even with the holiday season kicking off tomorrow with Thanksgiving day. Let’s be honest… for some of us who’ve lost those we love most, the holiday season can be the most difficult time of the entire year.
How can you be thankful when you’re in one of these dry seasons? What do you have to thank God for when you feel like you’re stranded in the desert, parched with no water in sight?
Where do you find your thankfulness when you feel like David in Psalm 143:3-7: “The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.”
Friend, we’ve all been there. But it can actually help with healing and bringing you out of the dry season when you thank God, even in the midst of your dry season.
Here are eight prayers of thankfulness you can lift up to God, even in the times you feel farthest from His love.
1. God, thank you for everything you’ve already done in my life.
Remember all He has done. Remember the ways He has worked in your life. Remember the people He’s brought your way. Remember everything He’s already done in your life, and thank Him.
2. God, thank you for the gift that is each morning.
Put into perspective that each morning is a gift. Each breath is a gift. Each moment you get to do life with God is a gift. Thank God for that.
3. God, thank you for Your beautiful creation.
Stop and take a look at your surroundings. You are surrounded by God’s beautiful creation, artwork from the greatest artist who ever was and ever will be. Thank Him for the beauty in His creation—because honestly, He didn’t have to make this world so intricate and glorious, but He did.
4. God, thank you for always being with me, even when I don’t feel your presence.
This isn’t an easy prayer, but God is always with you. His word is filled with this promise. So even when we don’t feel Him there, He is still right beside us.
5. God, thank you for growing me through challenging seasons of my life.
Speaking of prayers that aren’t easy… this might be at the top of that list. It’s hard to essentially thank God for challenging seasons. But God does work in our hearts through the dry seasons of our lives. God creates resilience and perseverance and other beautiful characteristics, even in the times we are struggling.
6. God, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for saving me from myself and my brokenness.
Take your prayers back to the story of your salvation, the most beautiful story you know and you’ve experienced. Remember why you have been saved.
7. God, thank you for togetherness.
Thank Him for the people in your life. We weren’t created to do life on our own, and God has placed people in your life for a reason.
8. God, thank you for the gift of a temporary home on earth, and for the even greater gift of a forever home in heaven.
Remember that your struggles and this dry season is only temporary. You’ll spend an eternity in the presence of Jesus, and that will be anything but a dry season.
When you feel like you’re stranded in the desert, thankfulness can help bring into view that spring of water in the distance. Thankfulness reminds you of all that God has already done in your life. It brings you hope for what He is going to do in the future, even when you feel like He is silent in that moment.
Be thankful today, even (and especially) if you are in that dry season.
And no matter what season you are in, remember this: child of God, you are onederfully created.
Love,
Becca
Thanks Becca for your timely post. Many of us need the reminder that God is always present. Sometimes we just need to be still for a minute to realize it.
You’re welcome! I certainly need the reminder as well. I’ve found that it’s so helpful to keep on praying, even when it’s hard and we don’t feel like it.
I especially like #5. That’s one that I’ve been concentrating on learning and praying myself lately. Thanks for this list.
Stephanie – that’s such a difficult prayer to pray, but God really does grow us through the challenging times in our lives. Thanks for reading, I hope it was meaningful to you!