God is never far away. He is always close at hand but there are times when we feel like He isn’t with us. It’s important to remember that He will never leave us but in those days when God feels far away, here is what to do to draw close to Him.
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God’s home is in Heaven, but He also lives in our hearts. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and saviour then His presence is always with you. There are times when our burdens feel heavy and God seems far away. It is something that we know isn’t true but our emotions can have a powerful hold over our minds.
When it rains, it pours as they say and it can feel this way with difficulties in our lives. It can feel like one issue after another is raining down on us and there is no sun in sight. We can’t help but wonder if God is punishing us or has forgotten that we even exist!
In fact sometimes we forget God altogether and get tunnel vision with the problems we are facing.
We forget that these are human thoughts, which often are dictated by how we are responding to situations. Our emotions and feelings are not always reality!
Emotions Vs. Reality
As women, we tend to experience more emotional changes than men do. It’s physiological. Our hormone cycles change on a weekly basis. Coupled with stressors in life and lack of sleep, we can experience times of intense loneliness.
Sometimes our emotions trick us into thinking God has left us, or is far away. In the pit of our stomach, instead of feeling His joy, we sense emptiness.
Motherhood can be a time when we feel this loneliness the most. When we are separated from friends and family and are the primary caregiver for needy children. We wonder if God has forgotten us in our busy days of mommyhood.
It hurts and it makes us wonder if we did something wrong. We start to ask God if we are worthy, if He is testing us. Through all of this our minds spiral into all the things we’ve ever done wrong and we fear that we are not raising our children right and can’t help but feel like a bad Christian mom.
It’s a dangerous trap to fall into because God will never leave or forsake you, even when you feel like He isn’t there.
It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
What Do You Do When God Feels Far Away?
So how do we combat these feelings? How do we train our brain to overcome the days when we worry God has abandoned us?
In a way it is like preparing for a war. We have to make preparations because days will come when we have to fight feelings of anxiety and loneliness.
Even when we have assurance of God about things in our lives, if we have a day of emotional upheaval it can make us second-guess His plans. Maybe we heard Him wrong or we aren’t cut out for what He needs us to do.
Emotions are powerful things but they are not more powerful than our Heavenly Father! When these anxieties creep into our minds we need to be ready to fight them. These are the best ways to reach for God and find His comfort in the midst of difficult situations.
Take Time With God
First of all you need to take some time with God. In the craziness of life this can be hard but it is essential for getting your head on straight.
It’s hard to hear God in the noise of our daily lives. I’m all for inviting God into our chaos, and believe it is an essential part of motherhood (and living in general) but when God feels far away, trying to listen to God in the noise of life isn’t going to cut it.
You are going to have to carve out quiet time with God. You are going to have to sit in His presence and let Him work on your heart, alone.
I’ll be honest, there are times I’ve had to do this knowing that I only had a few minutes. As I spent 5 minutes hanging laundry, I cried out to God. In the shower, I’ve handed burdens to Him.
It isn’t perfect, but it is the first step to drawing close to Him and reminding yourself that God isn’t far away. If you continue running through your day, you will find yourself running from God instead of sitting in the comfort of His promise.
Remember That God is Faithful
Once you have found your alone time with God you need to remind yourself that God is faithful. It’s not in His nature to abandon you and He will comfort you in the time of uncertainty.
Reflect on the times God has been with you through your life.
This is where having a prayer journal can be beneficial because you can go back into previous prayers and see where God answered your requests. We forget the little things God does for us, especially when our feelings trick us into thinking we are alone.
If you don’t have a prayer journal handy, read about God’s faithfulness in the Bible! There are countless stories that have God’s faithfulness woven through them. Much of the Old Testament is filled with God’s promises that He fulfills.
Noah, Abraham, Daniel and ultimately Jesus! All wonderful stories of how God promised great things to people and followed through, even when storms came.
There are other great testimonies you can read and your own testimony is a reminder of God’s hand over your life. There are small blessings and miracles scattered throughout your existence because God has always been there watching and waiting for you to turn towards Him.
In the end, it becomes a choice. Will we have faith or abandon our beliefs?
Choose to Believe
Belief is a choice. We can choose to reject God’s promises. We can view the Bible as a book of stories rather than a book of truth. But this will not fill the hole of emptiness.
Ultimately we have to decide whether we believe God is with us and has a plan for us or if we will abandon everything we have come to understand.
Choosing to believe means handing everything to God. Placing it in His hands and trusting that His way is the best way. Regardless of how we feel, God has good plans for us, even if we can’t see them in that moment.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
On the days when our emotions play tricks on us or we feel lost, we have to decide whether we will believe that God is good or if the Bible is just a book of stories. We have to trust that everything we know about our Lord Almighty is true and that He is with us, despite what our human mind may think!
Scripture Verses for When God Feels Far Away
For those days when you want to draw close to God, here are some scripture verses and Bible stories that will remind you of His faithfulness.
A Bible Story About God’s Faithfulness – Daniel (Daniel 6:10-24)
One of my favourite stories about faithfulness is Daniel. He wasn’t intimated by the attempt to prevent people from worshiping God. He continued with His daily prayer and because of His faithfulness God was faithful to Him and saved Him from the lions!
It is a wonderful reminder of the importance of drawing close to God even during times of difficulty or stress!
So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of hard was found on him, because he had trusted God.
Daniel 6:24
Verses About Our Heavenly Father Being Faithful
When you are tempted to allow yourself to fall into the pit of loneliness:
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
When you are afraid your faith isn’t enough:
If we are faithless, he remains faithful—
2 Timothy 2:13
for he cannot deny himself.
When you need to be reminded of God’s promises:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Don’t Let your Emotions Push God Away
Our emotions and feelings are powerful things. They have the ability to foster feelings of love towards people and build Christian families. They also can make us feel lonely and abandoned.
God gave us discerning minds and a Bible full of truth to remind us on those difficult days that what we feel is not reality. There isn’t a scripture in the Bible that says our Lord and Saviour chooses the days He will be present in our life. He doesn’t give you appointment times to talk with Him, He promises to be available all day, every day.
When those negative thoughts creep in, take time for God, remind yourself of His faithfulness and choose to believe the truths He has told you.
Sometimes God feels far away when in fact He is calling you to draw closer to Him. Listen for His call and spend time with Him. Live your life in His presence and remember that He will never leave or forsake you!
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