What to Do When You Feel Distant from God

Almost every Christian goes through this at some point. You pray, and it seems like the words don't get past the ceiling. You open your Bible, and the verses that used to move you read flat. Nothing scandalous has happened. You didn't walk away. God just feels far off, like He stepped back and didn't say why. It's disorienting, and it can last a lot longer than you expected, weeks or even months of reaching for a presence that feels absent.This episode opens with Sara Hagerty, who wanted to be a mother while the answer stayed no year after year. She was a believer who had known God as close and warm, but somewhere in the long wait He seemed to step back. She prayed about the emptiness and felt like she was talking to a shut door, and the strange part was that she hadn't done anything to cause it.Scripture answers that ache with an invitation. Isaiah 55:6 says, "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." Notice the tone. God is inviting you to come, and He attaches a promise to it: He can be found, and He is near. 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.So the way back is simpler than you'd guess. First, keep coming. Don't wait until you feel something to pray or open the Word; come while it's dry and keep the habits you had when He felt close. Second, tell Him the truth about where you are, without dressing it up. A prayer as plain as "God, I can't feel You right now, and I'm still here" honors Him more than a polished one, because it's true. Bart shares his own version of this, the Sundays he preached about God's nearness while feeling a thousand miles away, and how doing the next faithful thing brought the nearness back. Sara found the same path. She kept coming, told God the truth about her grief, and in time the nearness returned, even in a life that still held loss.BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:Why feeling distant from God is common and usually says nothing about your standing with HimWhat Isaiah 55:6 offers as an invitation when God feels far awayTwo simple steps for coming back when His presence feels absentGod does not always hand you the felt sense of His nearness on demand, and He is always closer than you think. Keep coming, tell Him the truth, and trust the promise that He is near.Share This Episode:https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/319Need Prayer? Leave me a voicemail:https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/voicemailWant to keep these devotions coming? Please consider supporting this podcast.https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/support/Rate and Reviewhttps://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/reviews/new/Connect with BartFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dailydevotionsforbusylivesWebsite: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.comFeeling spiritually drained? Start here. Download your free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus here: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/subscribe.