How to Pray When You Feel Spiritually Dry
By Dr. Fernando Cabrera
There are moments in every believer’s life when prayer feels harder than usual. You open your Bible, but the words seem distant. You kneel to pray, but heaven feels silent. Your heart loves God, yet your spirit feels dry.
If that’s where you are today, you’re not alone—and you’re not failing. Spiritual dryness is not evidence that God has left you; it is often the invitation to go deeper than you ever have before.
Here are five powerful ways to pray when you feel spiritually dry.
1. Pray Honestly: Tell God Exactly How You Feel
God is not offended by your transparency. David prayed in seasons of dryness:
“My soul thirsts for You… in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)
Honest prayer breaks the barrier of pretense and opens the door to refreshing.
Tell God:
“Lord, I feel empty.”
“I don’t sense You, but I still seek You.”
“Revive my heart again.”
Honesty is the first step toward breakthrough.
2. Pray the Word When Your Words Feel Weak
When your voice feels faint, Scripture becomes your strength.
Pray verses of renewal such as:
“Revive me according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:25)
“Create in me a clean heart… and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
Scripture gives your soul vocabulary when your heart feels silent.
Reading the Word ushers in the presence of God—praying the Word releases His power.
3. Pray with Worship, Not Just Words
Spiritual dryness often lifts fastest in worship.
Worship softens the ground of the heart and awakens holy desire.
When you feel dry, play worship music and pray like this:
“Lord, I worship You even when I don’t feel anything.”
“Awaken my affections for You again.”
Worship is not emotional; it is spiritual alignment.
Your emotions will follow your obedience.
4. Pray in the Spirit—Even When You Don’t Understand
Paul teaches, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays…” (1 Corinthians 14:14).
When your mind feels stuck, praying in the Spirit bypasses mental dryness and activates spiritual flow.
Even a few minutes of praying in tongues can break heaviness, stir faith, and restore inner fire.
If you are baptized in the Spirit, use this gift intentionally during dry seasons.
5. Pray with Persistence—Not Perfection
Dryness tempts believers to withdraw, delay, or quit praying.
But the ones who press through dryness become prayer champions.
Jesus said, “Ask… seek… knock.” (Matthew 7:7)
The verbs are continuous. Keep going. Keep praying. Keep showing up before God.
Remember: The enemy doesn’t fear your feelings; he fears your persistence.
Every dry season you overcome becomes a training ground for your next level of anointing.
A Final Word of Hope
Spiritual dryness is not a life sentence.
It is a season—and seasons change.
Many times, dryness is simply God shifting you from a feeling-based prayer life to a faith-based one. When the sensation fades, conviction grows.
When emotion quiets, maturity rises.
When dryness ends, you come out stronger.
If you feel dry today, let this truth carry you:
You are closer to breakthrough than you think. God is stirring the embers of your heart, and fresh fire is coming.
Keep praying. Keep seeking.
This dryness will turn into a well.