Episode 07: When God Feels Far (Part 1)

What do you do when prayer feels empty and God seems silent?In this first part of the When God Feels Far mini-series, Catholic-integrated therapist Luke Johanni explores what it means to feel abandoned by God; when life’s pain and people’s failures make Him seem distant.You’ll hear how Scripture, psychology, and faith come together to reframe this experience through the story of Job, the practice of lament, and therapeutic insights from CBT and ACT. Luke unpacks how our minds can mistake God’s stillness for absence, and how to begin finding peace again throughhonesty, connection, and truth.This episode dives deep into: What “abandonment by God” really meansThe difference between lamenting and losing faithWhy God allows suffering without willing itHow to calm spiritual fear using CBT and ACT tools4 practical steps to rebuild trust and restore faithWhether you’re in a season of silence or supporting someone who is, this episode reminds you: you may feel abandoned, but you’ve never been alone.Next week in Part 2: The Dark Night of the Soul; when God’s silence isn’t absence, but invitation. Sources:Job 1–2Job 19:25Psalm 22Lamentations 3:7–8Lamentations 3:22–23John 16:33Deuteronomy 31:6Isaiah 49:15CCC 164–165 – Faith tested in darknessCCC 272–274 – God permits darkness for greater trustSaints & Spiritual WritingsSt. John of the Cross – Dark Night of the SoulSt. Teresa of Calcutta – Come Be My LightPsychological & Therapeutic SourcesAPA Dictionary of Psychology – “Anxiety” & “Core Wounds”Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) overviewCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) overview – NAMIViktor E. Frankl – Man’s Search for Meaning