Need help with dryness in prayer

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Has anyone got any tips to combat spiritual dryness? Im presently in the throes of it and i feel like a " prayer plodder". I dont intend on ever stopping but ive got this nagging feeling like HE has heard this all before ,and every time i begin prayer its like { what you again} any tips would be helpful. thanks and GOD bless.
 
I think most of us have gone through such periods. Sometimes, I have just done away with written prayers and have just taken up with conversational prayer from my heart, of my own words. I also read books dealing with spirituality from a Catholic perspective, read the Lives of the Saints, and read about the Miracle at Fatima. Sometimes going on a retreat if that is feasible, helps as well. It helped me to resume going to Confession regularly and going to Mass and receiving Communion.
 
It may seem simple, but I like what Fr. Corapi says about things in general. If you find a dry period in prayer, pray that God will help you to overcome this. He says the same about Faith, hope, and love. Whatever we feel that we are lacking in, we pray that God will increase.

May God bless you and return the Spirit to your prayers.
 
Dear friend

I like Deacon Tony’s advice. I will just add this…

Dryness is as much a blessing as what we perceive as the rich times of prayer. So far in life I have found I have grown more in aridity, than in any other time. God is the One who gifted us with prayer, it is therefore prudent to take His leading on it rather than struggle to force prayer. To force prayer is very frustrating for the soul and achieves nothing. Be quiet and just sit with Him and follow His lead.

Just persevere and let God lead you in prayer, He may be taking you to another place in prayer, listen to Him and be silent…just follow Him.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
I agree with springbreeze…dryness can be a blessing. It is a wonderful opportunity to grow in faith and grow in love for God. Many of us get caught up in emotions and feelings when we pray. But we love God and follow him not because He makes us feel good but because we know that He is our Loving Creator, guide and friend.

I believe those dry periods can only help us to grow. Continue to seek Him especially in the Blessed Sacrament. There, you don’t have to say anything or do anything. Allow the rays of the Son to warm your heart, mind and soul. When we are at the beach we don’t feel that we are getting a tan…it just happens. Give Jesus the opportunity to work on your soul, even if you don’t feel it!

In Christ,
Michelle
 
dryness is the natural condition of prayer the older and more mature in the faith we become. get used to it. above all, do not use it as an excuse to stop praying.
 
Dear LBNA,

Your message was brief, so it is not apparent what the cause may be. Reading between the lines, it suggests to me that you had experienced a period of joyfulness in prayer, where it was a delight, but suddenly it has become dry.

If that is true, it could be that the Holy Spirit is moving you to a new way of praying, and this is a jump-start indication to adopt a more simplistic mode to speak with God. Try ejaculatory prayer, or brief prayer filled with holy desire. St. Catherine of Siena wrote about this, and I was just reading it yesterday in honor of her feast day. I will try to find the passage, if you think it would help.

It could also be your desert experience, which all devout people enter at one time or another. As one lovely author wrote, “bread corn is not bruised forever, but only until it is readied for its highest use.” (Hind’s Feet on High Places) The grinding into fine, white flour can be a painful experience, but it enables us to become bread for others in the end.

Or maybe your post was written as one who would love to “know” God better, but as you enter the process by “praying,” it seems to you very futile and dry. All the more reason for me to find St. Catherine’s message.

:love: Carole
 
Thanks joysong,great name by the way.Ive started praying more for the PSP and less for myself lately and that has seemed to help. Maybe the dryness is a strengthening period for the immenseness of HIS presence? Im always trying to be closer to HIM. GOD bless you.
 
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puzzleannie:
dryness is the natural condition of prayer the older and more mature in the faith we become. get used to it. above all, do not use it as an excuse to stop praying.
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puzzleannie is right. 🙂 Don’t ever let anyone tell you to stop praying if you hit “dryness”. All the saints dealt with periods of joy and dryness. Think of your Faith like water. Most of the time, we are flowing along like the liquid. In times of great joy and apparent Blessings were like the water vapor, full of energy and lite and constantly expanding. But in times of dryness, we’re like ice. Normally all we are aware of is the cold ann dryness, and we forget solidation and even small expansion that is occuring until after the dryness passes. The Lord uses those periods to solidify our Faith and refine our souls. In times of dryness, God is on the other side of the veil, and when the time is right, He will remove the veil. This may happen dozens of times thorughout your life, but remember He is preparing you to be in Heaven where you’ll be with God for eternity. :yup: Thanks and God Bless.
 
It stands for Poor Souls in Purgatory,they have seen GOD but cant be with HIM because they have to pay for their forgiven sins.They cannot pray for themselves, only the church on earth and the church in heaven can pray for mercy for them sothat they will be cleansed and purifed and enter heaven. Its in the catechism GOD bless
 
I reccomend going to confession and recieving the Eucharist later on that da. Whenever I do this I feel very close to God. Also try different forms of prayer. The three main forms of Catholic prayer are Vocal, Meditation, and Contemplative prayer. You should strive to pray constantly by having a runnig conversation with God in tour mind, always thanking him, and always asking him for assistance. It is very hard to do, but you will notice a drastic improvment in your spiritual live. I also reccomend going to Eucharistic adoration.

God bless,
Andrew
 
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slinky1882:
Think of your Faith like water. Most of the time, we are flowing along like the liquid. In times of great joy and apparent Blessings were like the water vapor, full of energy and lite and constantly expanding. But in times of dryness, we’re like ice. Normally all we are aware of is the cold ann dryness, and we forget solidation and even small expansion that is occuring until after the dryness passes. The Lord uses those periods to solidify our Faith and refine our souls.
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I like your use of imagery!

I often picture gardening metaphors. We had a tree that recieved a lot of surface water from our sprinklers, and the roots grew up only on the surface. But when a tree experiences a period of drought, it sends its roots deeper in search of water. I think of dry times in prayer as an opportunity to sned your “spiritual roots” much deeper. It can be rough as you fail to find refreshment where you once did.

I went through a dry spell in prayer a few months ago. (I’m not sure it’s over yet, but it doesn’t seem as bad now.) Springbreeze was right to call it a blessing, but it sure didn’t (doesn’t) feel that way. I read somewhere that the prayers offered during these dry times can be of more value because you are doing them simply for love of God and not for the good feelings they produce. Maybe what you are praying about needs serious prayer and God is giving you the opportunity to make your prayers more effective.

On a different slant, (not that I think it applies to you) I heard a priest say that sin can cause dryness. That’s more common in individuals with a young faith, and isn’t always the cause especially as one advances in faith. Confession is always a good idea, and a good confessor might bring additional insight.
 
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