Should you be worried if your prayer is dry?

Dryness in prayer is extremely common, as many of the saints endured dry spells that made them cry out to God for help.

Sometimes it can appear that the saints had perfect prayer lives, with absolutely no obstacles in their pursuit of God.

Yet, when you look closer, many saints had periods of dryness, where they did not feel anything when they prayed.

For many of us this is a daily occurrence, as we will sit down to pray and nothing happens.

Our heart doesn’t feel any consolation from God, and we may even be tempted to think that God isn’t there.

Cry out to God

St. Francis de Sales encourages the reader in his Introduction to the Devout Life to not be troubled and to use it as an opportunity to voice your frustration with God:

Should it happen sometimes, my daughter, that you have no taste for or consolation in your meditation, I entreat you not to be troubled, but seek relief in vocal prayer, bemoan yourself to our Lord, confess your unworthiness, implore His Aid, kiss His Image, if it be beside you, and say in the words of Jacob, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me;” or with the Canaanitish woman, “Yes, Lord, I am as a dog before Thee, but the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”

The key to dryness in prayer is to not give up.

God is there, right next to us, but our heart may not be open to him, or he may be allowing such a situation to test our hearts.

Whatever we do, we need to persevere and take our cares and concerns to God, letting him do with us as he wills.