Monday, May 10, 2004
40 Days of Purpose Day 14
When God Seems Distant
God is real, no matter how you feel. In my life, there have been dry seasons of apparent Godless interaction, the last in the weeks following the death of my wife. Those seasons always end with God's affirmation that He was there all along. And that episode of grace was very special for me, which I've written about before.
It is always easy to worship and praise God when things are going well. Your circumstances are easy, the money is flowing, you have your health, the kids are good. But when those times are not good, how do you worship God then? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?
Rick Warren, in the book "The Purpose Driven Life" puts it this way: "The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain; thanking God during a trial; trusting Him when tempted; surrendering to Him while suffering and loving Him when He seems distant."
Think about your friendships. What makes them fragile or tenuous? Silence or separation perhaps; you may be divided by distance or unable to talk. But with your friendship with God, He is always there, thought you might not always feel close to Him. God will test your friendship with Him sometimes by providing periods of seeming separation - when God seems to have abandoned or forgotten you. But these times are given, not to make us push us away, but to increase maturity in our friendship.
David probably had the closest relationship with God after Jesus. God was pleased with His friendship with David, calling him "a man after my own heart." But David complained of God's apparent absence in his life, such as is described in the Psalms: "Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most? 10:3. Why have you forsaken me? Why have you remained so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help?22:1 Of course, God never left David, and He doesn't leave you. His Word says "He will never leave you or forsake you!" But God has not promised "you will always feel my presence." There are times when God seems to be missing from your life.
In "The Purpose Driven Life," Floyd McClung is quoted as saying, "You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, but it doesn't change anything. You go through spiritual exercises... you have your friends pray for you... you confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast... still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days, weeks, months? Will it ever end? It feels as if your prayers simply bounce off the ceiling. In utter despiration, you cry out, "What's the matter with me?"
There is nothing wrong with you! It is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. I know how painful and disrupting it can be! And was I glad to be taken out of that wilderness to know that God was there all along. And that I am a stronger person in Him than before.
To combat this feeling of distance from God, follow these three principles:
Jesus gave up everything so that you could have everything. We will live forever because He died on that cross. That along should be worthy of all your praise! Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.
Tomorrow: Beginning Purpose number 2: You were formed for God's Family.
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God is real, no matter how you feel. In my life, there have been dry seasons of apparent Godless interaction, the last in the weeks following the death of my wife. Those seasons always end with God's affirmation that He was there all along. And that episode of grace was very special for me, which I've written about before.
It is always easy to worship and praise God when things are going well. Your circumstances are easy, the money is flowing, you have your health, the kids are good. But when those times are not good, how do you worship God then? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?
Rick Warren, in the book "The Purpose Driven Life" puts it this way: "The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain; thanking God during a trial; trusting Him when tempted; surrendering to Him while suffering and loving Him when He seems distant."
Think about your friendships. What makes them fragile or tenuous? Silence or separation perhaps; you may be divided by distance or unable to talk. But with your friendship with God, He is always there, thought you might not always feel close to Him. God will test your friendship with Him sometimes by providing periods of seeming separation - when God seems to have abandoned or forgotten you. But these times are given, not to make us push us away, but to increase maturity in our friendship.
David probably had the closest relationship with God after Jesus. God was pleased with His friendship with David, calling him "a man after my own heart." But David complained of God's apparent absence in his life, such as is described in the Psalms: "Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most? 10:3. Why have you forsaken me? Why have you remained so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help?22:1 Of course, God never left David, and He doesn't leave you. His Word says "He will never leave you or forsake you!" But God has not promised "you will always feel my presence." There are times when God seems to be missing from your life.
In "The Purpose Driven Life," Floyd McClung is quoted as saying, "You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, but it doesn't change anything. You go through spiritual exercises... you have your friends pray for you... you confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast... still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days, weeks, months? Will it ever end? It feels as if your prayers simply bounce off the ceiling. In utter despiration, you cry out, "What's the matter with me?"
There is nothing wrong with you! It is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. I know how painful and disrupting it can be! And was I glad to be taken out of that wilderness to know that God was there all along. And that I am a stronger person in Him than before.
To combat this feeling of distance from God, follow these three principles:
- Tell God how you feel. Pray and pour out your heart to God. Let everything come to Him, every deep feeling and emotion. Did you know that by admitting your hopelessness to God that it is a statement of faith? David was feeling despair but also trusting God when he wrote, "I believed, so I said, 'I am completely ruined.'" That sounds like a contradiction; I trusted God but I am wiped out! But David's candidness revealed deep faith; he believed in God, and he knew God would listen, and he believed God would let him say whatever he felt and still love him.
- Focus on who God is - His unchanging nature No matter what you feel, know that God never changes and He is always loving you! Remind yourself of the unchangeable truths about God; that He is good, He loves me, He is with me, He knows what I am going through, He cares and He has a good plan for my life.
- Trust God to keep His promises No matter how long you are facing a spiritual drought, you must patiently rely on God's promises, not your own emotions. Know that He is developing a deeper level of maturity in you. A friendship based on emotion is shallow indeed.
- Remember what God has already done for you This is the hardest thing to do when you are in continual pain, but the truth of His word and His actions come clearly; even if you think that God didn't do anything for you in your life, remember that He sent His Son to die for you! This is the greatest reason for worship! The recent movie, "The Passion of Christ" reminded many of the supreme sacrifice that Jesus died for, and the torturous details of His passion. If you never saw the movie, remember these three things: that Jesus, the "suffering servant" was abused and tortured like an animal, that in His weakened state He carried His cross to Golgotha, and as He died, the weight of the worlds sins were taken from us to Him.
Jesus gave up everything so that you could have everything. We will live forever because He died on that cross. That along should be worthy of all your praise! Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.
Tomorrow: Beginning Purpose number 2: You were formed for God's Family.
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