Faith

What to do When You Feel Far From God

I moved my body mindlessly as the worship leader led the crowd. Looking around me, everyone seemed to be in the ‘spirit’. Lifting up my hands mindlessly and put them down almost immediately when I realized that I had perfected the art of being a Christian… I could act it so good that no one would be able to tell how I feel so far from God. I just wasn’t feeling God.

At night, I couldn’t sleep. Trying to remember when I last felt this way… wasn’t long at all – a few months ago. I had been going in and out of this phase, I really wondered when a final solution would find me. I took out my journal and wrote a letter to God (as I often do) telling him how I felt, holding nothing back. Tears marked those pages. I really can’t tell you how or when I got out of that but I did get out of it even though it was not immediately.

Does this sound familiar to you in any way?

Well, That was my story – one of my stories from a few years ago. I remember this particular one so well because of the way I had perfected my outside. Anyone who saw me in the church that day would never have known I was struggling to come out of a pit.

I had and still have seasons like this when I just feel so blank. At such times, God would seem like a million miles away and many times I sincerely do not even know how I come out of that phase. I guess it was just God having mercy on me.

Now I know better as to how to handle such feelings. I’d love to share that with you…

Here’s What to do When You Feel Far From God

  • First thing I have to say is this. When you feel like God is far away, just know that if anyone moved tent, it is definitely not God. We have his promise that He’d never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)
  • Secondly, we need to know that above all, the standard is the Word of God. We should not allow our feelings dictate to us. The ultimate truth is the Word of God. For instance, when you feel far from God and your bible tells you that God would never leave you nor forsake you, you know it is your feelings that is misleading.

When you feel something contrary to what God's Word is saying, you need to renew your mind with the scriptures and your flesh would have no choice than fall in line Click To Tweet

This feeling can be due to several reasons.

  • The most common being when you have fallen short and done things not expected of a believer, you’d feel the remorse and all. You’d also feel guilty because the devil, the accuser of the brethren is always there to make you feel like God would never receive you because of your sins.
    But again, we are reminded of the fact that Jesus took our place when He died on the cross so now when God looks at us, he doesn’t see us and our imperfections and sins. He sees Jesus Christ, the perfect lamb of God, the perfect substitute for our sins. Halleluyah!
    When this feeling of unworthiness comes if it is not properly checked, it can lead one to feel like God is angry with you and distant – Hence the need for us to check it.
  • Some other times, your surrounding may have been too noisy(what many would call busy). Such that there has been no time to pray or study… you haven’t made time for the things of God and all of a sudden you remember, you’d surely feel disconnected. Or maybe God has asked you do something and you just flee, stop communing and all. By the time you realize, you’d feel as though God is far away but He has not gone anywhere, He really is just waiting on you
  • Other times, It is the other way round. Something bad happens to you and you are angry at God wondering why He allowed such to come your way.
    The truth is this – In Jesus’, the height of love, mercy, grace, goodness, everything was demonstrated. Such that if that is all we ever got from God, God is still good and all the time. We need to get used to this fact as believers and ensure that when such feelings come, we can boldly say God is good! Not because of our answered or unanswered prayer points but because that is who He is – forever good.

You don't exactly need faith when God's presence is so real to you. It is in those times when you can't sense God that your faith is tested truly Click To Tweet

Whatever the case may be, when you catch yourself feeling distant from God, here is what to do:

  1. Understand you are not alone. Right from the bible days, people like David has such feelings in abundance especially when he was running from Saul. Even in our current day, many believers fall in and out of this phase. The bible says no temptation that has befallen you is strange or now – not to God and also to mankind (I Cor 10:13) You are not alone.
  2. Run to God! Do not make the mistake many do by running further from God… instead run to Him. Express your feelings to God. I love to write letters to God telling how I feel. You can pray, you can sing a song… whatever just open up how you feel about God.
  3. Look into the Word. I earlier spoke about renewing your mind. This is what it basically does to you – it brings you (feelings and all) up to speed with the truth of God’s Word. So you can read scriptures like Hebrews 13:5, Isaiah 49:14-15 (where God has promised that he’d never us or forsake us) and Romans 8:38-39 (where we are reassured that nothing can separate us from God’s love; not our sins, not persecutions).
    Internalize these scriptures, keep saying it unto it becomes life to you.
    The fact that you feel like God is far away from you does not mean He is! Click To Tweet
  4. Surround yourself with uplifting materials/people. This is not the time to be listening to sad songs crying all over the house. No no… Listen to sermons and songs about God’s love. You can also read books and articles that talk about the love of God. Also share with a trustworthy person, whether your pastor or a unit member or even a friend/relative. This is very key so that they can hold you accountable and can pray for you. This is not the time to go solo, many have fallen into pits of depressions. Having them encourage you and remind you of God’s love would help you get back on track.
  5. Remind yourself of God’s faithfulness: Remind yourself. Think back on how God has been faithful all your life, bask in His faithfulness and trust in it… Knowing that if He couldn’t have brought you this far to abandon you. I have a journal when I have my past victories, this makes it easy for me. Even King David did have a memoir of God’s faithfulness. That was why he was able to say he’d kill Goliath, as he had killed the lion and the bear.

Keeping a record of your past victories in God can help you trust his faithfulness in fighting the battles ahead Click To Tweet

Having done all, keep going. Sometimes, truly there is no sin or ill happening weighing you down. You can’t even trace the feeling from any happenings yet it is so overwhelming – that distant feeling. You just keep going. Knowing that your feelings aren’t a true picture of reality. Ignore your feelings and keep going to God. Sometimes, it’s a wave of test – how you’d cope when that feeling is gone. You just keep going, praying and studying. Just as you couldn’t trace the start, you wouldn’t know when it’d be over.

I pray for anyone battling such as issue as this new that you are strengthened with might even to supersede these feelings. I pray you’d be rooted in God’s love and be established.

Don’t forget to share with others. You don’t know who might be saved by this.

Shalom!

If this blessed you, you’d love these other articles;

How To Hear From God

When God Says Go

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