In a Dry Place?

Maybe you're like me. For a while now, I've found myself feeling really empty and dry spiritually. Many times I have prayed that God would light a fire in me, but I didn't really believe that He would do so. I know that I didn't believe because when He answered my prayer, I wasn't waiting expectantly for the answer, and so I missed it.

Even though I am not faithful, however, God is faithful.

He answered me again, and I ignored Him again. Again and again, he answered, and I ignored Him, until a light bulb finally went off.

Let me explain.

For the past few days, I've been reminded in my heart of the Scripture which has the clear solution to my spiritual dryness.

Revelation 3:20 says "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he
with me."

Jesus was knocking on the door of my heart with the answer to my prayer, but I couldn't hear Him. The TV was too loud. The voices in my head were too loud. My circumstances were too loud. Finally, once I heard the knocking, it was clear:

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be
apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."
Revelation 3:1-7

Here, Jesus is telling this church, "Hey, you're doing all this religious stuff. You work hard. You endure and you don't tolerate people bringing wrong teachings about Me into your midst. Good job! But you're doing it out of obligation, not because you love Me. What has changed? What were you doing when you first loved Me, that you're no longer doing? Go back to doing those things, and the passion will be back. Your influence in ministry will return when you return to doing the things you did when you were first fired up."

What was I doing when I first became a Christian that I'm not doing now? I was reading His Word, listening to solid bible teaching and worship whenever I could, and feeding my Spirit healthy food instead of junk food that is all around me. Do those things, God's Word is saying, and the love will be back.

It's amazing that the One who created this whole world cares about me and about a relationship with Me. Yet when I take Him at His Word, He is faithful to honor that.

The tide is turning in my heart and in my life. And you know what? The more I drink of the living water, the more I thirst. The more I partake of His Word, the more I hunger. The more I recieve from God in his Word, the more I want to share it. The reason I am still on this earth is to share God's love with others, and to point them to Jesus. What does this world have to offer that's better than that?

God hears, and God answers. If I had believed He would, I could've saved myself a lot of grief and a lot of time.

What are you praying for? Have you searched the Scriptures to see if what you're praying for is actually God's will for your life? If it is, then His Word promises you that you have what you've asked of Him. The question is: are you listening for His knock on your heart, or is the sound of His knock being drowned out by the volume of the TV, or your circumstances, or some other distraction?

Take God at His Word. He will never let you down.