The Benefit of Doubt: How Confronting Your Deepest Questions Can Lead to a Richer Faithનમૂનો

Why Does God Feel So Far Away?

I have a long history of feeling like God was absent when He promised to be present.

Once I was invited to a men’s spiritual retreat. My friends said it was THE. BEST. THING. EVER. But it ended up being just a bunch of smelly guys in a gym. Though most of them seemed to love it, I hated every minute and wondered what was wrong with me. My friends said it was the closest they ever felt to God, yet I felt nothing.

I remember asking myself, What were they experiencing? And what am I missing?

What do you do when you desperately want to feel the presence of God, but don’t?If you struggle with this question, don’t panic. You are not alone. Several heroes in the Bible, who were some of God’s most faithful servants, wondered why they didn’t feel God’s presence—including His very own Son.

No one was closer to God than Jesus. His mission was to glorify God in every way and He was obedient even to death. On the cross, Jesus was insulted and mocked. On the cross, Jesus became sin for us. And, on the cross, in some mysterious way, God pulled back or looked away.

While this is very difficult for us to understand, here’s what I do know: Jesus, the Son of God, who had done nothing but His Father’s will, cried out in desperate agony, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 NIV)

If you’ve ever wondered why you don’t feel the presence of God, you are not alone. Jesus understands.

Maybe you’re single and trying to make a decision about someone you’re dating, or you want to know if you should change jobs. Or you’re considering a cross-country move and want some kind of confirmation that it’s a good idea. Or you have two kids and want to know if you should try for a third.

It may not be about a decision at all. You might be hurting and just want to experience God’s peace in the pain. Or you feel alone and just want to know that He’s with you.

So if God is always there and loves us, why don’t we always feel Him?

• Perhaps you’re looking for an awe-inspiring, supernatural experience with God when He’s trying to help you see Him in ordinary, quiet moments.
• Or you might be a Christian who has allowed bitterness or ongoing sin to harden your heart, making it difficult to feel close to God.
• Or maybe your life has become more about performing Christian duties than about pursuing God’s presence, turning your faith into a religious checklist rather than a loving relationship.

How about you? Why don’t you feel God with you?Could it be that you’re sensationalizing His presence? Or that you’re rationalizing a sin and allowing your heart to grow hard toward the things of God? Or maybe yourstruggle is that you’re prioritizing performance over God’s presence?

God is relational and wants to be pursued. So if God seems far away, remind yourself, just because He feels distant doesn’t mean He is absent. Your feelings are not facts, and they can fool you.

He is there. He’s close. And He’s trying to draw you close. God’s not far from you.