How to Stay Spiritually Fed When You’re Emotionally Empty

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One day, after an exceptionally long week of work, I plopped down on the couch in exhaustion. As much as I wanted to be done with the week, there was so much more to do. Bills had to be paid, chores had to be done, and I still had to help my daughter with a few errands. Normally, I would power through the rest of my day, knowing that rest would surely come soon. However, because we were dealing with a difficult church situation, it weighed heavily on my soul. Emotionally, I was drained.

Not only was I emotionally drained, but I felt hopeless and full of despair in our situation. Our church situation was difficult, and there were no other jobs on the horizon. This placed an additional financial strain on us. Emotional exhaustion can be easily remedied by taking a break from technology and letting your mind rest. But when you feel hopeless regarding your situation, emotional exhaustion can turn into emotional emptiness.

Everyone experiences dry times spiritually, but when a person goes to God and cries out to him, yet feels like he's not answering, it can feel especially draining. Here are some ways to keep fed spiritually even when you are emotionally empty:

Lean on Your Community

In this technologically advanced world, it is easy to want to do things on your own. Some people walk their entire spiritual journey alone. They watch church online, avoid small groups, and do Bible studies on their own, but fail to study it or apply it to their lives.

No Christian can live on their own. Throughout Scripture, no one is alone on their spiritual journey. The disciples went and visited towns in pairs. Adam had Eve, David had Jonathan, and Paul had Timothy. Even God exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Everyone needs an Aaron and Hur to hold their hands up when life gets tough. In the heat of battle, when Moses put his hands down, they stopped winning. However, when Aaron and Hur held Moses’ hands up to help him in his exhaustion, the battle was won: “When Moses' arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down. In this way, Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites” (Exodus 17:12-14).

We win our spiritual battles in community. In fact, when we choose to do life alone, isolated from our community of brothers and sisters in Christ, that is when Satan preys on our vulnerabilities. Find a couple of people whom you trust to pray for you and let them be the Aaron and Hur in your life.

Meditate on Scripture

The best way to curb lies from entering your mind and to feel less hopeless is to meditate on Scripture. Scripture reminds us of God's promises. He reminds us of who God is, our place in the Kingdom, and our ability, in his authority, to make a difference in the world. Yet, so many of us relegate reading Scripture to half an hour a day and then go on as if Scripture doesn't impact us. Keep Scriptures in your home, car, or wherever you visit often.

Be sure not only to ruminate on them throughout the day but also to memorize them. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of these verses when lies and doubts creep back into your mind. If Jesus used scripture to combat Satan’s schemes, then so do we. We need to use Scripture constantly to remind us who God is and his place in our lives.

Cry Out to God

Sometimes, the most intimate moments of our spiritual walk happen when we cry out to God. Just as Scripture reading can become perfunctory and dull—if we merely talk to God about all our requests, prayer can also become hurried. God wants our hearts, and prayer is an excellent way for us to show him our hearts. The more vulnerable we are, the more intimate our relationship with God will become.

When is the last time you cried out to God? Have you ever been so overwhelmed with life that you barely had anything to pray about? These are the times when Jesus wants to hold us up the most. Sometimes the most powerful prayers are those that merely ask God for his help.

The person you choose to cry out to God not only meets him in a new way but also finds genuine connection in life. If you've never done this, practice this in a quiet space in your home. First, make space for God to speak to you. Write down what he says. Ask him if there's anything in your life hindering you from having an intimate relationship with him. Write down what he says.

If what he reveals does not make you act out of godly sorrow, ask God to change your heart. When we bare our souls before the Lord, it often results in tears and sorrowful repentance. Our characters only change when we commit to changing our behaviors.

Let the Holy Spirit do his work of convicting our souls so that we can be better people in the end. When we cry out to God, not only do we enjoy the catharsis that comes with pouring our hearts out to him, but we're also fed spiritually. We feel more connected to God and are able to move forward in our walk with him.

Practice New Disciplines

Sometimes practicing new disciplines will trigger us in our spiritual walk. When we re-engage with God in a new way, we become emotionally satisfied and spiritually fed.

Try to emulate some of the new disciplines you find throughout Scripture. Daniel fasted regularly. Seek to write out new things that you learned, like Paul, when he asked Timothy if he could get his scrolls. Be like Elijah and practice silence and solitude when you go up the mountain to reconnect with God.

Regardless of the discipline you choose, seek to use it as a new way to re-engage with God. Even if you don't receive anything in return, God will honor your time and your desire to connect with him. If during your prayer time, God chooses to speak, it is revolutionary to your spiritual life.

If, after fasting, you find a new purpose for your life, thank God, who is glorified. Approach your disciplines with the desire to connect with God and get nothing from him. God, in his mercy and goodness, will not only give you reconnection but also may give you renewed purpose and a plan for your life.

In today's world, we have access to more resources to support our spiritual walk than ever before. However, we're more spiritually starved than we've ever been, not only for reconnection with God but also with others. Use the suggestions above to help you in your spiritual walk. You may not see immediate change, but these disciplines, done over time, will keep you spiritually fed and emotionally fulfilled as you receive intimacy and connection with God.

Photo credit: ©Vladimir-Vladimirov

Michelle S. Lazurek is a multi-genre award-winning author, speaker, pastor's wife, and mother. She is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services and host of The Spritual Reset Podcast. Her new children’s book Hall of Faith encourages kids to understand God can be trusted. When not working, she enjoys sipping a Starbucks latte, collecting 80s memorabilia, and spending time with her family and her crazy dog. For more info, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.