Curious Minds: When God Feels Far Away
Curious Minds: When God Feels Far Away
Discover practical ways to draw closer to God and cultivate a deeper connection with Him through intentional steps of faith and devotion.
Today’s article is a previous post, but a good reminder. Be blessed!
Hi, I’m Pastor Chris. I write this newsletter about faith, family, and leadership. Join me on this journey and subscribe.
Part 6: When God Feels Far Away
Today, we’re going to talk about something important: experiencing God's presence. Have you ever felt God's presence? Maybe it made you feel tingly, brought tears to your eyes, or filled you with a deep sense of peace. But what if you haven't felt God's presence? Does that mean something is wrong?
Maybe you read the Bible but don’t understand it. During worship, you see others crying, but you feel numb. When you pray, you don’t feel God at all. You want to believe, but you don’t feel anything.
If you don’t always feel God’s presence, you’re not alone!
While fleeing from his enemies, David expressed feelings of abandonment, questioning if God had forgotten him amidst his struggles. Similarly, Paul, who experienced both blindness and miraculous healing, wandered for three years and endured obscurity, even though he later became a prominent figure in spreading the Gospel. Even Jesus, who walked with God, cried out on the cross, feeling forsaken by His Father.
Why Don’t We Always Feel God?
1. Maybe You're Oversensationalizing God's Presence
Jesus once said, "Some people are always looking for a sign!" Sometimes, we might expect God's presence to show up in big, dramatic ways—like when we break up with someone and hope for a sign or change jobs and look for a camel!
Feelings aren't the only evidence of God's presence. If we always felt God, we wouldn't need faith. Even on ordinary days, God is still there.
2. Maybe Your Heart Is Numb
Jesus talked about people whose hearts had become calloused, meaning they could see and hear but not understand. Maybe you're a believer, but your heart has hardened—maybe because of hurt or ongoing sin. Sin can numb us to God's presence, like being bundled up in clothes on a freezing day. We might need to examine our hearts and ask if anything is blocking our connection with God.
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes." (Matthew 13:14-15)
3. Maybe God Wants to Draw You Closer
Ever noticed how challenges and hard times often bring us closer to God? Sometimes, when we don't feel God's presence, He wants us to pursue Him more passionately. He wants us to seek Him with all our hearts, not rely on our feelings. Even when we don't feel Him, He is still there, guiding, comforting, and loving us.
Deprivation draws out desire. If you don’t eat, you are hungry. If you don’t drink, you are thirsty. If you don’t feel God, you want Him more.
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 29:13-14)
So, remember, whether you feel God's presence or not, He is always with you. When you're unsure, anxious, or lost, call out to Him. He is your guide, comforter, friend, and savior. And if you seek Him, you will find Him. As Psalm 16:8 says, "I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me."
Let's trust in God's presence, whether we feel it or not, and keep seeking Him with all our hearts. He is with us, always.
How To Draw Closer To God
Drawing closer to God is a journey that requires intentional steps and a willing heart. Here are some practical ways to deepen your relationship with Him:
1. Cultivate a Daily Habit of Prayer and Scripture Reading
Regularly praying and studying the Bible is essential for nurturing your spiritual growth. In prayer, you can pour out your heart to God, express gratitude, seek guidance, and find comfort in His presence. Likewise, studying Scripture allows you to understand God's character, promises, and will for your life.
"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)
2. Foster Community with Other Believers
Surrounding yourself with fellow believers who share your faith can provide encouragement, accountability, and support on your spiritual journey. Engage in regular fellowship, attend church services, join a small group, and participate in activities that foster community and mutual edification.
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
3. Practice Gratitude and Worship
Developing an attitude of gratitude cultivates a heart that is receptive to God's presence and blessings. Take time each day to thank God for His goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. Additionally, worship through singing, praising, and magnifying God for who He is and all He has done.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!" (Psalm 95:6)
4. Serve Others with Love and Compassion
Following the example of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve, seek opportunities to demonstrate God's love and compassion to those around you. Whether through acts of kindness, serving in your community, or ministering to the needs of others, let your actions reflect the love of Christ.
"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
5. Embrace a Lifestyle of Surrender and Obedience
Submit every area of your life to God's authority and follow His commandments with obedience and humility. Surrendering your will to His leads to a deeper intimacy with God and aligns your desires with His purposes.
"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (Luke 9:23)
By incorporating these steps into your daily life, you can draw closer to God, experience His presence in deeper ways, and grow your faith and relationship with Him. Remember, drawing closer to God is a continual journey of seeking, surrendering, and abiding in Him.
Thank you for your thoughts on these things. Interesting when you mentioned Paul gone three years.with God alone in Arabia It may have seemed like a seminary with only one student. Though once a Pharisee of the Pharisees he now needed to fully understand all of the Scriptures in who Jesus is.
He maybe wasn't as lonely then as we may think. Certainly he returned with his same zeal to preach Christ in Damascus and then his desire to do so in Jerusalem cut short by the scepticism of the apostles. But to me what great loneliness for Paul when he was sent back home to Tarsus by the apostles never to be heard from for about the next ten years. As I read your thoughts on feeling or maybe not feeling the presence of God the thoughts you brought up as to why made me recognize that during those ten years Paul may have even questioned the purpose of those three years in Arabia alone with God. And it helped me recognize also that God may not need us until He needs us and may have to send a Barnabas to draw us out to serve God.
It is never because God has left us, but because we have drifted away from Him.