Workday Prayers: When Your Spirit is Dry

Scripture – Psalm 63:1 (NRSV)

O God, you are my God, I seek you,
+++my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
+++as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Prelude

For me, reading Psalm 63 feels like spending time with a dear, old friend. Why? Because the first four verses of this Psalm regularly fill my morning prayers. I don’t remember exactly when I started praying them each day. I do remember, however, that it was a time in which my soul was parched.

The dryness in my life had to do with distance from God, for sure. But it was also a by-product of overwork, of exhaustion that came from having more to do than I could imagine doing. In this instance, it wasn’t that my work was going poorly. Such a situation could certainly feel like “a dry and weary land where there is no water.” But, sometimes, when our work is going well, we are flourishing in one way while drying up in another way.

In the midst of a period of work-related dryness, I added Psalm 63:1-4 to my morning prayers. These verses have given expression to my deep need and longing for God. I know they’ll do the same for you today.

Prayer

Gracious God, I feel so dry these days. My soul is parched. I have so much to do that I find it hard to make time for you. I know I need you, but my dryness numbs me to that need.

So I let the words of the Psalm express the deeper longings of my heart.

“O God, you are my God.” Yes, you are King of kings and Lord of lords. But you are also my God, my Strength, my Savior, my Friend.

“I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you.” Sometimes I’m so dried out that I can’t even feel my thirst. Yet I know it’s there. And, every now then, by your grace, I can feel it again. I know how much I need you. You are the deepest desire of my heart.

“As in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” There isn’t much living water in the places where I work. There’s no obvious “spiritual water cooler.” What I must do each day is more draining than filling. But I know you are there, Lord. You are with me each moment throughout the day. You are there to sustain me, to nourish me, to encourage me.

O Lord, help me to lie down in your green pastures. Lead me beside your still waters. Restore my soul! Amen.

Ponder Throughout the Day

When your soul is parched, God loves to give you his living water.

For Further Reflection

You may wish to read and reflect on all of Psalm 63.

You may also read Psalm 23, which serves as a kind of dialogue partner with Psalm 63.

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Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the High Calling archive, hosted by the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: What Is Better Than Life Itself?