The times I have wrestled with God most in my walk with Christ have been in seasons when I didn’t feel His presence. It is a hard truth, but until Jesus comes back and calls His people home with Him, there will continue to be those seasons when it is hard to feel His presence. I hope to walk through that in this post.

Let No One Separate

“But now [at this very moment] in Christ Jesus you who once were [so very] far away [from God] have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13

“Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:6b

Since the fall of man in Genesis 3, the relationship between God and man has been frayed. Man was designed for close relationship with God, God desired for that relationship to be renewed. As Ephesians 2 says, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were for that goal, to bring back the people of God to Him. Because it was God who reunited His people with Him, that bond can never be broken. The Good Shepherd will not let one of His sheep wander or get plucked from the flock. As Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew, what God joins together, nothing can separate. No guilt or shame, no trial of any kind can keep God from His people.

Not By Sight

“For we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]” 2 Corinthians 5:7

“Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me].” John 20:29

Although God has reconciled His people to Himself, there are still times when there is a feeling of distance. It does not make the salvation invalid when this happens. While we are saved by God when we believe, we are still flawed human beings. God promises to make us perfect like Him in Heaven. Until then, there are some limits on us. We are still lacking the eyes to always see God’s presence. This is a reason why we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. If we had to have sight to believe, no one would. This does not only goes for the physical body of Jesus, but also is talking about the times when God is not felt. These seasons are often the hardest, when prayers seem like they are in vain, the Bible seems to lose its freshness or power, and God may seem dormant. The problem doesn’t lie in the prayers, the Bible, or God. The problem is in our hearts . It can happen when God’s Spirit starts to become strictly a feeling. When we rely on the spiritual highs, the spiritual lows can feel deeper and can lead to doubt. Feeling like God is distant does not make it true. God’s proximity is not tied to our spiritual clarity. God has never and will never leave those who are called His children. When He feels distant, it is because our vision is not what it should be. I believe another reason why there are seasons of felt distance from God is because He allows it. I believe He allows it to strengthen our faith. It is easy for something to lose its shock and awe when you see it clearly all the time. Our sinful nature can tend to lose our awe of Him. Christians are called to “walk by faith and not by sight”, and Jesus says “blessed are they who have not seen and yet believed”. Christians are not called to believe after they see, but before, so God allows seasons of felt distance to build up that sightless faith. Whether we are purposely looking to something else or in an allowed season of felt distance, our gaze can shift. We start to believe lies that God left us or that the circumstance is too much for God. Do not believe them, do not let your eyes drift from God. Nothing will replace Him and it will only lead to the feeling of distance from Him. When your eyes inevitably drift, stay in His word and rediscover His greatness and train your eyes back on Him firmly.

Face to Face

“For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].” 1 Corinthians 13:12

“But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;” Philippians 3:20

One encouragement for those in a season where God feels distant is to focus on Heaven. I believe one of the reasons why we can feel distance from God is because, in a way, we are distant from Him. We were made to be with Him, we were created for Heaven. This kind of distance is not negative though, it should spur us on. We are not where we were made to be. We should yearn to be with God in Heaven, to see Him in all His glory as 1 Corinthians says we will. How great it will be to fully unite with the Father who has paid the price for us. Become homesick for Heaven. Have joy for what is to come—when our faith becomes sight, and we join all of creation in praising the One who was with us even when we could not feel Him; when we see our closest Friend and Father face to face.