Athletes call it a slump. Out of nowhere for no apparent reason, one seemingly loses the ability to do the most basic things that used to come so naturally. A basketball player finds free throws impossible to make. A golfer goes through a spell where even a tap-in putt can be an disaster. A hitter in baseball temporarily loses the ability to put the bat on the ball for solid contact, and when he does, he hits it sharply, but directly to a defender.

No one knows what causes slumps, and even worse, no one knows how to cure them. They appear unannounced and magically disappear just as mysteriously. The protocol for most slumping athletes is to maintain the basics, keep doing the little things – slog – until all of a sudden, a switch flips and once again, the athlete returns to true form.

I think that is sound advice for a spiritual slump as well. When it seems God is silent and we are lacking the spiritual vitality and power we experience at other times, the most beneficial thing we can do is be faithful to the basics – Bible reading and prayer. When you find it difficult to read your Bible, try reading through Psalms. When you find your prayers dry and mechanical use the hymnal as a prayer book, praying through the truths found in the great hymns of the faith.  Eventually, God will reveal His presence again, and you will experience the rich fellowship of the Holy Spirit if you will but remain faithful to exercise the spiritual disciplines all the while patiently waiting on God to bring you through the dry spiritual slump you experience for a season of time. Hang in there, but hang in there actively. God will hear, and He will bring an end to your slump.

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. – Psalm 40:1-3