“How long will you hide your face from me?” ~ Psalm 13:1
We have all known spiritual dryness: times when God seems absent, yet our longing is overwhelming. A thread running through much of the Christian contemplative tradition holds that the ache of apparent absence is itself a form of encounter with the Holy. It just doesn’t feel that way!
The tradition offers several ways to understand these desert or wilderness moments:
God exceeds every image and concept. The act of “not finding” God can itself be the truest contact.
Old ways of praying no longer work. God may be coming to us in a new way that we have not yet perceived.
Every sacred satisfaction becomes a new desire. Longing never ceases; it deepens.
Spiritual restlessness is God drawing us toward God’s self.
Spiritual direction is a wonderful way to travel through these transitions with a trusted companion. Like midwives, we attend with you in this fresh becoming, as God is revealed to you anew.
Questions for Journaling
How have you experienced God in the past? What was it like?
If God has exceeded every image or concept you have held, how might you open yourself to new possibilities of encounter?
Imagine a magnet drawing metal toward it. How might this image help you stay patient as you explore your longing and God’s draw?
