Ever feel stuck in a rut? I have. When I get distracted, worn out, and weighted down God feels distant. I’m stuck. Guess what? Stuck happens. So relax, but also respond so you don’t stay stuck? Five suggestions to get unstuck:

1. Be honest about it.
Psalm 40:1-2 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog.” Even King David got stuck. Let’s be honest about what we feel toward God— our distracted thoughts, our tired feet, our hurt feelings, our deadened passions, our disappointed expectations. Getting unstuck starts with honesty.

2. Complain out loud to God.
Now, speak your honesty. Psalm 6:6 says, “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.” Stuck? Tell God. Prayer is having an honest conversation with God.

3. Complain out loud to others.
Revival comes in community. This is not for the purpose of justifying our whining, it is for the purpose of letting others help us expect God to show up. When we can’t imagine our way out of a hard place, let other people imagine it for you. Psalm 7:7 says, “Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; rule over them from on high.” We grow in faith better together.

4. Get into the Word.
God’s Word is living and active. God heals and revives us by turning our attention to His truths, which are found in God’s Word. Tune into God and seek God’s path out of your spiritual stuckness. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your Word is a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path.”

5. Dwell in God’s love.
Without this, all spiritual practices fail. Always remember, God loves you! Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” The beauty of God’s love is that it survives spiritual dry times. God is love and the Bible tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus. (See Romans 8) This can never be overstated: God loves you!

Everyone gets stuck. Don’t stay stuck.

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership