Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Sin can cause us to feel distant from God. Often times, this happens when we minimize certain sins and maximize others. -- This tends to make us believe that in certain seasons of life we are more worthy of God than in others. When we ONLY focus on the "big" sins in our life, we tend to feel unworthy to be in a relationship with God. We "punish” ourselves by running from Him and refusing to feel His presence. Then during seasons when we don’t have those “big sins” in our lives, we feel worthy of God and even blinded to other sin in our life. But the Bible says, “His mercies are new every morning,” which means we NEED His mercies every morning!
The worst part of you is never too bad for God’s grace and the best part of you is never too good that you don’t need it. We must remember that we are never worthy of God’s grace, yet He offers it anyway. We always need grace!
There’s another way that can cause us to feel distant from God. It happens when we confuse truth with feeling. -- Although “feelings” are significant to the Christian life, they are not the foundation of it! Sometimes we focus more on the feeling we get from worship than the one we are worshipping. Then when those feelings aren’t present, we believe God isn’t either. But just because we don’t feel God, doesn’t mean He’s not there. Feeling the presence of the Lord ultimately comes from focusing on the truth of the Lord. The presence of the Lord is constant, and HE promises to never leave us or forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. '"
The foundation of the Christian life is not feelings, it’s truth. If I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s that happiness and feelings are fleeting, but joy and the truth of God’s word are constant and never failing. If our faith is based on feelings, then it will fade with your feelings. But if our faith is solely based on the promises of God and His word, then it will never fade because His Word and promise are forever. Seek first the truth of who God is, and the joy will follow.
1 Peter 1:25 "but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
Devote yourself to the Word daily, despite how you feel! Because ultimately, we don’t read our Bible because of US - we read it because of CHRIST!
Incredible verses to rely on during this season:
1 Corinthians 13-7 - For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 - Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
May I remember your promises, and by them may my feelings be transformed. Lord, help me to remember that your faithful deliverance far transcend my fleeting emotions and circumstances. Help me to draw near to you as you have to me. Give me the assurance that nothing in all creation will be able to separate me from your everlasting love.
When you feel far away, help me to remember your word, and to give you praise even when I can't feel you.
Above all else, may I persevere with hope by running to your Word. And in your perfect timing, may your truth transform my feelings.
Amen