Originally Posted by JDWiseman

I hesitate to make this statement, because it could be twisted in an unhealthy, merit-based way; however, usually I've found that most of my "dry times" relative to Scripture derive from inattentiveness to "keeping the heart" in my personal life.

When you paddle along in a river of callousness, carnality, or indifference, you can't really just "jump stream" and get in the current of Scripture just by opening the book. I don't mean that to sound pietistic or mystical. Just that illumination by the Spirit and understanding the written word obviously take place in the context of a regenerate life. And when you avoid the duties of sanctification, you often lose the hunger and thirst for Scripture.

But you can't take that too far; you always have to realize that God can place you in dry times whenever He chooses, for whatever reason He chooses, and it might have nothing to do with anything in your spiritual life; and in those cases, all you can do is bow the head and continue on with your spiritual duties.

I was thinking about this for myself the other day, and came across this in William Whitaker's Disputations on Holy Scripture:

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