A tree would eventually die when it stops getting the nutrients it needs. There comes a point that the roots need to “dig deeper” to sustain the tree with nutrients, water and substances that it needs to grow and bear fruit. In the same way with our spiritual walk, we may be planted near streams of living water but we may experience some seasons of “dryness” in our relationship with God. I believe whenever we experience this, the problem is never with God because it is his will that we constantly find our strength and life in him but what we need to check is our lives. There may be numerous reasons for “dryness”, here are some that I have observed:

1. A season of growth, where in we need to dig deeper.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. –  Colossians 2:6-7

It says here that there is a continuous pursuing, a digging-deeper-to-have-our-roots-grow-down in him and a consistent building upon him that happen with our relationship with God. This is why having a relationship with Jesus is exciting. It is dynamic, interactive and demands hard work. Dryness comes when we stop investing in our relationship with God, stop reading our bibles and settle for mediocrity.

2. Unrepented sin.

but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. – Isaiah 59:2

Sin never brings us closer to God. Sin always causes separation (not just with God but with other people). When someone has done something wrong against us, there is an unseen gap between our relationship. Consequently, sin causes a gap with us and God. This is not an issue of status or position (if you are in Christ) but this is an issue of intimacy. This is an issue of closeness. The good news is, the heart of God is never to push us away from him, but his kindness and mercy is meant to bring us to repentance. We need to turn away from sin, turn to God and make amends with people we have hurt in our sin.

3. Physical Reasons.

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”  And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat. – 1 Kings 19:4-5

Elijah experienced one of the most spectacular miracles in the bible then plummets down to spiritual dryness. Some of the implied reasons here are physical exhaustion and hunger. Similarly, we experience dryness when we choose to stay up late checking our Facebook posts rather than resting, sleeping early and conserving energy for the next day. The world today demands a fast paced life that sometimes it takes a toll in our bodies. It is hard to absorb what God has to say when we are tired or if our mind is already occupied by important OR unimportant things. We need to take care of our health.

4. Pruning or disciplining.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. – John 15:2

Pruning is done to a branch to make room for it to grow more trees. During its mutilated stage, a pruned branch looks dry and ‘fruitless’. A fruitless, pruned branch and a fruitless cut-off branch at first, looks similar, but the difference lies in this; the former is still connected with the vine and the latter already thrown away. When God is pruning us, we submit to him, continue pursuing and continue obeying him.

Dryness at times may feel like suffering for us, but…. knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5: 3-5

God’s heart for all of us is to grow intimately aware of his presence everyday until eternity. Jesus made this possible and by the help of the Holy Spirit we can grow more and more in love with God in every seasons of our lives.