When God Feels Distant

Without question, the Christian desires to have a closeness with God that he feels in his soul. It may be hard to express in simple terms, but intrinsic to its nature is a warmth that comes from the Divine when He communes with the creatures on whom He has placed His love. After experiencing this, the believer craves to continually draw from this well, but in the providence of God, it can become empty just as soon as it seemed full. This isn't a popular topic, but it very real, and it has a place in God's plan for His children. Each week as the people stream into our churches, many can say with the psalmist, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?" (Ps.42:5). It would be easy for these men and women of the faith to begin to believe that they are somehow strange, lacking in something that everyone else around them seems to have(even though there is no prevalent sin that has overtaken them, nor is there a lack in the use of those means God normally gives grace and growth through). However, God does great work in these periods where heat is lacking. There is no wasted day with the Mighty One; no time where He is not at work. When it seems that our Lord has forgotten us, just as a good friend can become distracted and forget to check in for a time, the heart needs to be reminded that God does not slumber nor can he forget. It is absurd to think that a human father could forget his children. How much more so that our heavenly Father could forget His own, those He has given His perfect Son for? Could it be possible that God has a great purpose for these times that the Puritans called "desertions?" We feel loved by God as long as we have this continual emotional experience where He seems close, but does this mean that we are less loved when this feeling is not there? Not at all! As a perfect Father, we as His children receive from Him what we need, not what we want. We want the warm feeling, but without it, God creates in us a longing for Him by seemingly separating Himself for a time. The heart learns to desire His fellowship more than anything else, and also learns to trust Him in all circumstances. Faith demands that we follow when following doesn't come easy, even when our own hearts have become dull (I might add, especially when our hearts become dull). It is true, as the song says, that our hearts are prone to wander, and the Lord knows he must train a people who are awaiting a promised land by leading them through the wilderness- a place where they learn to obey His voice rather than their own desires. We need these times even though we don't want them, and if you are experiencing this very thing right now, pursue God more than ever. Your heart would have you back away, but it needs to be tested (Deut. 8:2) so that it might long more perfectly for the God it desires.