What to Do When You Feel Distant from God

Sarah Haggerty wanted to be a mother, and for

years the answer was no. Month after month, the test came back

the same, and the ache of it settled into everything. She was

a believer, and she had known God as close and warm, but

somewhere in the long wait, he seemed to step back. She'd pray

about the emptiness and feel like she was talking to a shut

door. The strange part was that she hadn't done anything to

cause it. She was still showing up, still bringing him the same

request, and it felt like nothing came back. We'll come

back to what she decided to do, but

first, welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm

Bart Leger. There have been Sundays I stood up to preach

about the nearness of God while feeling like He was a thousand

miles from me. Nothing dramatic had happened, and my prayers

just seemed to stop at the ceiling, and the Bible read like

a textbook for a while. And there I was, telling a room full

of people that God is close. On a morning, I couldn't feel it.

What got me through was nothing remarkable. I just did the next

faithful thing and let God know how I felt, every time the

nearness came back. Maybe you're in one of those stretches right

now. Almost every Christian goes through this at some don't get

past the ceiling. You open your Bible, and the verses that used

to move you now seem like nothing more than words on a

page. Nothing scandalous has happened, and you didn't walk

away. God just feels far off, like He simply stepped back and

didn't say why. And it can be very disorienting, especially

because it can last a lot longer than you expected. Weeks or even

months of reaching for our presence. It feels absent. When

you're there, it helps to know God has already spoken to this,

and what He said is an invitation. Listen to Isaiah 55,

6. Seek the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him while

He is near. Seek the Lord. Call upon Him. I want you to notice

the tone in that verse. God is inviting His people to come, and

He attaches a promise to the invitation. He can be found, and

He is near. God's not the one who moved. When God feels far,

the feeling is telling you one thing, and God is telling you

another. He says He is near. Even on the mornings, your heart

can't detect Him. The distance you feel is not the whole story

about where God is. So here's the way back, and I believe it's

simpler than you'd guess. First, just keep coming. Don't wait

until you feel like praying or opening the Word. Come while

it's even still dry. Keep the habits you had when He felt

close. Second, tell Him the truth about where you are. You

don't have to dress it up or pretend the distance isn't there.

Just say it. God, I can't feel you right now, and I'm still

here. That kind of prayer, I believe, honors Him because it's

true. And here's what to hold on to while you wait. God doesn't

always hand you the felt sense of His nearness on demand. He's

always near, and He's always closer than you think. So Sarah

made a choice that didn't fix anything overnight. She kept

coming anyway. She stopped pretending she was fine and

started telling God the truth about the grief and the waiting.

Slowly, in a way she couldn't have engineered, the nearness

came back. She began to taste His goodness again, even in a

life that still held loss. Later, through an unexpected road that

included adopting children from across the world, she wrote it

all down and called the book, Every Bitter Thing is Sweet. The

bitter parts were still bitter, and she'd found God in the

middle of them. Look at what turned it for Sarah. She

couldn't manufacture the nearness, so she did the one

thing she could. She kept coming, and she told God the truth about

the grief. Then, in a way she couldn't have arranged, the

nearness came back. And that's usually how it goes. You keep

coming in the dark, telling Him the truth, and one day you

notice He was never as far as He felt. Here's today's challenge.

If God feels distant right now, do two things today. Keep your

normal time with Him, even though it feels like nothing is

happening. And if you haven't been coming to Him, just come

back. And when you pray, skip the performance and tell Him

exactly where you are, including the part where you can't feel

Him. The way back runs through seeking Him while He can be

found, the way Isaiah said, and trusting that He's near even

when your heart can't tell. Father, thank You that You

invite us to seek You and that You promise to be found. For

everyone listening who feels far from You right now, meet them in

the distance. Remind them that the feeling of absence is not

proof of Your absence. Give them the grace to keep coming when

everything feels dry, and to tell You the truth about the

performing. And in Your timing, let them taste Your nearness

again. Thank You that You're always closer than we think. In

Jesus' name, amen. If this episode encouraged you today,

would you share it with someone who might need to hear it? Just

go to DailyDevotionsForBusyLives.com

slash 319 and copy the link. It only takes a second, and it

might make a real difference in someone's day. Thanks for

joining me on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, when

God feels far, that feeling isn't the whole story. Keep

coming, and trust that He's nearer than He feels. Come back

next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in

God's truth. Until then, God bless, and have a great day.