I was chatting with a friend the other day and she shared with me that she was having trouble staying connected to God. She described a feeling of being in a funk and not having the energy or desire to pray or worship or read the Bible. She used to be able to do those things with enthusiasm. I have experienced times like that--they usually go along with a general state of depression.
After chatting with my friend, I remembered the wisdom of Henri Nouwen in his book, Gracias! The book recounts his days of living in Bolivia and Peru, learning Spanish and working with the poor. He shared his own experiences of dealing with depression. He found a way out of his funk by following a routine. He had always set aside a time for prayer and bible reading and stuck to it during his time of depression. I think the advice is akin to Peter Bohler's encouragement to John Wesley when the latter was so down as to want to give up preaching. "Preach faith until you have faith," said Bohler, "and when you have faith you'll preach faith."
I have found that daily use of the simplest of devotional guides, The Upper Room, helps me stay connected to God. You can obtain hard copies or follow it online. I encouraged my friend to start reading it. It doesn't take a lot time and you may find that it helps you climb out of the funk.
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