4 years ago

EVER WONDER WHY?—6 WHEN GOD FEELS FAR AWAY

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EVER WONDER WHY?—6 WHEN GOD FEELS FAR AWAY I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. ... 11You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:8-9, 11 NLT

But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? Psalm 88:13-14 NIV

WHY DON’T WE ALWAYS FEEL GOD?

Maybe you’re oversensationalizing God’s presence.

So they asked [Jesus], “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” John 6:30 NIV

If you always felt God, you wouldn’t need faith.

Maybe your heart has hardened. … “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. …’” Matthew 13:14-15 NIV
Maybe God just wants to draw you closer.

“From one man [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:26-27 NIV

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD ... Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV

Just because God feels distant doesn’t mean God is absent.

… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:20-23 NIV

I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:8 NLT

Think About It

Read Psalm 16:8-9, 11. How can you remember God is always with you, even if you don’t feel His presence? If we always felt God, we wouldn’t need faith. What are some ways you can seek God, regardless of your feelings?

Challenges, hard times, and suffering can bring us closer to God. Share a time when you saw God working, even if you didn’t sense His presence.