When God Feels Distant

By Jeff Arnette       We’ve all been there at some point in our journey. One day everything is great and the next, we find ourselves feeling lost and distant from God. There can be many reasons for feeling like this but most often, it is a result of some struggle we are facing in life. Sometimes it isn`t that God has moved away from us but that we’ve moved away from Him and sometimes it is simply a matter of how we’re feeling in the midst of the struggle. No matter the reason or if the distance is real we should all want to be closer to the Lord. Feeling closer to the Lord gives us comfort when life gets crazy, when we`re struggling with some sin in our life, or when we simply need more strength.     Asaph, in Psalm 77, gives us some insight into prayer and needing to be closer to the Lord. He cries out to the Lord and He listens to him. Asaph knew that the only way to get through the trouble he was dealing with was to get closer to the Lord.     First, we learn from Asaph that when God feels distant we should remember all the good things God has done for us. We need to consider all the things God had done for us and for His people. By remembering God’s gracious acts it gets us to stop focusing on ourselves and start focusing on Him.     Secondly, we learn from Asaph the importance of spending time in God’s house with the people of God. He knew that the best way to feel closer to the Lord was to get closer to the people of God.     Time spent in worship and assembling with His people will draw us closer to each other and to our God. It is in the services of the church that we learn, remember his gracious acts, and grow through study with others. If you are feeling distant from the Lord just remember that he will always be near his people and his people will always be together especially on Sundays & Wednesdays. Make sure you’re there every time the doors are open and it will be a great blessings for you and for the church.     Relationships require effort and God is no exception. Even before you feel like doing it, just keep doing it, and eventually you will feel like being there. Here is a truth that is often hard for us to learn: feelings follow actions, not the other way around. In the same way that you exercise even before you feel like doing it, spending time with the Lord and His people will eventually feel good if you keep doing it. Just because you don’t feel like doing something doesn’t mean you will not.     So, if you’re feeling distant from the Lord, just keep going, keep focusing on his great works, keep praying, and make sure you keep going to the church services. Eventually, with persistence, you will reap the benefits that He has in store for you.

- Jeff Arnette preaches for the Central Haywood church of Christ, Clyde, NC.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/