THOSE WILDERNESS TIMES

[Pearl]

I suspect that, just like me, we all experience those days, weeks or months when we feel a dryness in our spirits and distant from our loving Father. These times are like the winter; cold and long and there’s not much we ourselves can do to move on to the next ‘season’. If we have no obvious sin separating us and causing the distance between us and our God we must just be and let God do the moving.

I have found that trying too hard to get myself out of these wilderness times has the opposite effect and I seem to get drier and more parched and further away from God. A while back I was in just such a dry place and had been crying out to God to rescue me but I seemed to get further and further into that arid desert until one day God answered me. I clearly heard His voice in my spirit saying, “Just be, and let me”. It took all the pressure off and I surrendered to Him and just sat quietly, stopped all the desperate praying and just believed.

Soon afterwards I was back in the fertile places and so grateful to God for His grace which brought me once again into those pleasant places with him.

As I said, I think we all will have been in those desert places so it would be nice to hear how others dealt with it. Please share.

 

[dev553344]

Well for me, I feel closest to God in service to Him, Church and others. Lately it's been a little dry I think. With my health conditions I can't serve in the capacity I once did. And so now I'm either working on projects, like physics and programming or feeling ill. And some of that physics and programming is serving God. But a lot of time I'm stuck watching movies. And God doesn't manifest too often in the spirit when I watch movies. Depends on the content. I notice that God manifests in the spirit more when I'm watching my daily Mass. So that is pleasant and I get that daily

 

[Pearl]

@amadeus

@Behold

@ByGraceThroughFaith

@Cassandra

@CharismaticLady

@charity

@faithfulness

@Ferris Bueller

@GodsGrace

@Grams

@Heart2Soul

@Helen

@Hidden In Him

@L3astAm0ngManyB13ss3d

@Lambano

@marks
@marksman

@Mayflower

@Nancy

@Not me

@RitA

@WalterandDebbi

@Wynona

 

[L.A.M.B.]

Well for me, I feel closest to God in service to Him, Church and others. Lately it's been a little dry I think. With my health conditions I can't serve in the capacity I once did. And so now I'm either working on projects, like physics and programming or feeling ill. And some of that physics and programming is serving God. But a lot of time I'm stuck watching movies. And God doesn't manifest too often in the spirit when I watch movies. Depends on the content. I notice that God manifests in the spirit more when I'm watching my daily Mass. So that is pleasant and I get that daily

Pray, study and meditate in his word instead of the movies. The peace from this is like well-spring in my soul. Refreshing !

 

[Pearl]

Well for me, I feel closest to God in service to Him, Church and others. Lately it's been a little dry I think. With my health conditions I can't serve in the capacity I once did. And so now I'm either working on projects, like physics and programming or feeling ill. And some of that physics and programming is serving God. But a lot of time I'm stuck watching movies. And God doesn't manifest too often in the spirit when I watch movies. Depends on the content. I notice that God manifests in the spirit more when I'm watching my daily Mass. So that is pleasant and I get that daily

I see our spiritual ups and downs as seasons; just as we experience seasons in the natural world I also believe that we also experience seasons of the soul.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

@amadeus

@Behold

@ByGraceThroughFaith

@Cassandra

@CharismaticLady

@charity

@faithfulness

@Ferris Bueller

@GodsGrace

@Grams

@Heart2Soul

@Helen

@Hidden In Him

@L3astAm0ngManyB13ss3d

@Lambano

@marks
@marksman

@Mayflower

@Nancy

@Not me

@RitA

@WalterandDebbi

@Wynona

A call to the righteous, I love it !

Let whosoever will come.

 

[dev553344]

Pray, study and meditate in his word instead of the movies. The peace from this is like well-spring in my soul. Refreshing !

Thanks and Yeah. I've thought about that. I started looking for more Christian content, since I'm noticing more interaction with God during times when I'm watching those things. I study the scriptures here. And sometimes I feel the spirit here. But I notice in the scripture areas of the forums it can be somewhat argumentative and attacking and therefor lacking in the spirit. And I get some scripture study from my daily Mass. And that is almost always a positive spiritual experience.

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[L.A.M.B.]

The dry wilderness is surely a season when we stand in faith.

There may be nothing that we see or know but its like heaven is rubber and our prayers just bounce back at us.

The enemy sooooo desires our souls during these times. He however can NOT cross the bloodline so he just snarls and spits.

I have read and re-read Psalms multiple times in this season of dryness feeling nothing.

Thinking on the heart of David. A sheperd boy for his father yet chosen as king of Israel. Small in stature with only 5 smooth stones he defeated the giant warrior of the Phillistines.
His trust in the Lord was mightier than any giant.

In his PSALMS, he trusted God in everything. Even in his sin after repentance, he trusted God.

Dry wilderness will come in every believers life but 'O how sweet is the valley when we've stayed faithful !

 

[L.A.M.B.]

Thanks and Yeah. I've thought about that. I started looking for more Christian content, since I'm noticing more interaction with God during times when I'm watching those things. I study the scriptures here. And sometimes I feel the spirit here. But I notice in the scripture areas of the forums it can be somewhat argumentative and attacking and therefor lacking in the spirit. And I get some scripture study from my daily Mass. And that is almost always a positive spiritual experience.

Thanks for the ideas!

Youtube has a great array of spiritual movies.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

I love this one.

 

[Pearl]

A call to the righteous, I love it !

Let whosoever will come.

I can never remember who to invite so I have made a list of all those I follow and just copied and pasted so more people will see the positive threads.

 

[Pearl]

I love this one.

I was just thinking about this about an hour ago. It was the first ever Christian book I read and then our vicar took us to see the film. The second Christian book I read was called 'When the Spirit Comes'. And that was the one which gave be a great hunger.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

I have read so many copies of the Hiding place to pieces. My SIL bought me a leatherbound edition have you seen the second one.

 

[Pearl]

I have read so many copies of the Hiding place to pieces. My SIL bought me a leatherbound edition have you seen the second one.

No I haven't seen that one.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

I have 2 very old books that I cherish also with the Hiding Place.
The Greatest Story Ever Told ( made into a movie starring Robert Powell), the second is by the same authour whose daughter finished it after his death, the Greatest Faith Ever Known.

The first is in story form of Jesus life combining ALL the gospels. The second takes up where the first left off with the life of the Apostles including their epistles. It is like reading the NT without book, chapter & verse.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

No I haven't seen that one.

Thats the full movie.

 

[Pearl]

I have 2 very old books that I cherish also with the Hiding Place.
The Greatest Story Ever Told ( made into a movie starring Robert Powell), the second is by the same authour whose daughter finished it after his death, the Greatest Faith Ever Known.

The first is in story form of Jesus life combining ALL the gospels. The second takes up where the first left off with the life of the Apostles including their epistles. It is like reading the NT without book, chapter & verse.

Max von Sydow starred in the greatest story ever told. Robert Powell was in Jesus of Nazareth. I have tried to watch it again on You tube but get horrendous adverts every few minutes so I gave up.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

Max von Sydow starred in the greatest story ever told. Robert Powell was in Jesus of Nazareth. I have tried to watch it again on You tube but get horrendous adverts every few minutes so I gave up.

You are right.......lol
I'm older cut me some slack sister.

 

[L.A.M.B.]

Oh he died not to long ago, Max.

I wonder these ppl that play religious charcters if they are saved before or if they get saved during.

I pray it is live to them and not just a part.

 

[Pearl]

You are right.......lol
I'm older cut me some slack sister.

me too.