There's an old song which was performed by Debby Boone in the 1980s called "Keep the Flame Burning". The song helped to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
I have had many times when I have become tired and doing my best to keep that flame burning in my own heart. Believer it or not, I get tired of being a believer. I'm not going to give up because this is who I am and I've gone too far to give up now but I do get weary. The seasons of discouragement come and I have to push through it.
It gets discouraging when it seems no one believes in God anymore. It also gets tiring when nothing is happening in your own life. I never enjoy the dry spells in my life. Prayers are prayed but there doesn't seem to be any power in it and nothing changes.
If you've never experienced these times as a believer then you haven't been a believer for very long. There is no magic formula or bypass for the times of discouragement or when the "flame" is burning a little dim. The only way to GET through it is to GO through it.
Isaiah 40:31 talks about being weary and addresses these times when the flame needs to keep burning. We are supposed to wait on the Lord to renew our strength and once He renews us we will have renewed energy. Isaiah describes it as mounting up with wings like eagles. It means we have to persevere through these times and not give up. Being a Christian isn't always easy and no where did Jesus say it would be.
I think the key takeaway from this verse in Isaiah is where he says to "wait" on the Lord. I think we are tempted to panic during the dry spells in our lives and force the issue. I don't like waiting but sometimes waiting isn't bad. The renewed strength comes in many ways. For me it has come in finding a new song or an encouraging word in some other form. It always comes if we wait and not panic.
Jesus knew what dry seasons were like too.
40 days. That's how long He spent in the wilderness Himself.
And I think a few days is a long time.
I still don't like it. It stinks to be in the wilderness. Nothing happening and not knowing when it will end. Will my "wilderness time" last 40 days? I certainly hope not.
Sadly, some people think that when a christian is going through a dry season in their spiritual experience that they have either sinned or they have become slack in some way. This is not true. It even happened to some of the Bible heroes. The prophet Elijah experienced a significant shift from a spiritual high to a deep depression after his dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel where he had witnessed God's power but later his life was threatened by Queen Jezebel which led him to run in fear and despair.
The important thing is to stay the course. Don't panic and don't give into despair when you are going through a dry spell. Push through it however long it takes.
I'm down right now but there is no despair and I'm certainly not giving up. I have been here before.
