In this post, I have decided to include lyrics from the song Homeward by Benjamin William Hastings. God has used music in my life to carry me through many seasons. This song has helped me more than any other. It has helped me most when I could not feel God or what He was doing. God used it to explain it a little more and fix my eyes on how God is always willing and ready to call us homeward.

Prepare

“Lord, help me believe it all those days when I feel like I don’t” — Homeward by Benjamin William Hastings

“He who gathers during summer and takes advantage of his opportunities is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps during harvest and ignores the moment is a son who acts shamefully.” Proverbs 10:5

I have been wanting to write on the topic of feeling distant from God for a while. It is a feeling that I have wrestled with a number of times throughout my life. For too long, I never heard anyone teach on it, so when I inevitably felt distant from God, I had no idea what to do or who to talk to. It can be easy to think that you will always feel the closeness of God, but sadly, that is not the case. It is imperative that we see and identify quickly which season we are in, easily feeling the closeness or feeling the distance. We should enjoy the easy faith days when we feel God is closer than a brother, while using that time to prepare for when it is harder to feel God. If we feel God close to us, that is the best time to call out to Him for when we feel Him distant. Why wait until we don’t feel Him close? We should jump on the opportunity every time we encounter the closeness to God as soon as He grants it to us. 

Read

“I hang on every word You ever said for I know You’re faithful” — Homeward by Benjamin William Hastings

“And I said, “This is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High has changed [and His lovingkindness is withheld]”. I will [solemnly] remember the deeds of the Lord; Yes, I will [wholeheartedly] remember Your wonders of old.” Psalm 77:10-11

We should always be leaning on the Word of God, but it becomes especially crucial when we feel distant. If there is a lull in God speaking to us, we should go to the book with the most stories of Him talking to people. Not only that, but there are many stories of people in the Bible going through seasons of distance or silence where they do not feel God, look to what they were going through and how their season resolved. The Psalms are full of Psalms of lament and most of them include the language of “where are you”, and “why do you hide yourself”. What I believe is the most important part is how they respond. Sometimes God would show up in a victorious and mighty way, but most of the times the writers have the faith, even when distant from God, to say that whatever comes and happens, I will praise God and God alone. We must all strive to respond like that and the striving will be easiest when you feel God with you.

Call Out

“Faith isn’t fearless, it’s just trusting when you fear the most” — Homeward by Benjamin William Hastings

“If ever I stray, if ever I fall, would You call me homeward” — Homeward by Benjamin William Hastings

““Behold, I am with you and will keep [careful watch over you and guard] you wherever you may go, and I will bring you back to this [promised] land.” Genesis 28:15

The first lyric has given me the language for when I was wrestling with hard days of faith. It explained to me that faith is not the absence of fear, but trusting in spite of fear. Like gold, faith is not proven until it goes through fire. I believe that one of the reasons God allows us to feel distant is to see who we will call out to when it happens. One of the most common pieces of advice for seasons when God feels distant is to call out for Him to come closer. While I don’t think that is entirely wrong, I feel as if it is often more accurate to call out to God to draw us closer to Him and open our eyes to how He is always with us. God promises that He will bring us back to Him whenever we ask. When we find ourselves feeling distant from God, or don’t see what He is doing, we must call out to Him immediately, for Him to reveal Himself and what He is doing, even if it is just a glimpse.