Dry Seasons and Discouraging Times

Send us a text

When life turns upside down and prayers seem to echo in silence, where do you place your hope? We journey through Psalms 42–44 to face spiritual drought with honest words and a steady heart, exploring how ancient songs teach modern souls to trust and wait. We begin with the raw confession of a downcast spirit—tears by day and night, a mind rattled by inner turmoil, and the piercing question, “Where is your God?” Instead of hiding the pain, we learn to pray it. The sons of Korah invite us into a maskil—a teaching psalm—that trains our hearts to thirst for the living God like a deer searching deep ravines for hidden streams. The refrain becomes the anchor: hope in God means trust and wait, even when the water is not yet visible.

We then widen the lens to see how praise works before circumstances shift. “I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” is not denial; it is identity. By anchoring praise in God’s character rather than quick outcomes, we discover how spiritual resilience grows in dry seasons. Psalm 44 extends the theme to a national story: Israel’s failures, discipline, and mockery do not equal abandonment. Drawing on Paul’s insight in Romans 8, we press into a crucial truth—tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, and danger are not signs that God has walked away. Suffering may be the soil where faithful love takes deeper root.

Along the way, we share practical ways to keep moving when the heart feels heavy: name the sorrow without shame, return to the refrain of hope, attach praise to God’s person, and remember the witness of those who walked this road before us. And yes, sing through tears. Those songs, shaped by waiting, often become the strongest witnesses to God’s steady presence.

If this conversation strengthens your hope, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help others find the show. Tell us: what scripture helps you trust and wait when life feels dry?

Support the show

Stephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback