When God Seems Far

By Lori Scharf

___

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8, ESV)

“God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:2-3)

Sometimes it seems like God is far away.

Sometimes, I’ll lie in bed and try to pray, but it feels like my words are bouncing off the ceiling.

Sometimes I wonder why such a big God would even pay attention to me.

Then there are other times where I feel close to God.

Times when I feel like I’m on top of the world, as close to Him as I can be.

It’s a rollercoaster. A moving tide. It changes on a daily basis.

So what’s different? Why do my feelings towards God change? Why is it sometimes He feels close, and others He feels far, far away?”

“For I the Lord do not change…” (Malachi 3:6, ESV)

The thing is, God never changes. Like the verse at the top says, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

God is the only perfect being in the world. The only one without sin. The only person who can be with every one of us personally at the same time. The only one outside of time. He is omnipresent and immutable.

So, if God never changes and He is everywhere at once, that means that He can’t be closer or farther away on any given day.

What, then, makes us feel this way?

Sin.

Sin is the only thing that can drive a wedge between us and God.

You see, unlike God, humans are ever-changing creatures. We are the ones who become closer or farther away.

Being close to God is a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute commitment. We must hold tight to God, or else we slip away in the storms of life.

However, even if we do slip away, God doesn’t truly leave us. He is always there, calling you back and waiting with arms open wide.

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12-14, ESV)

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, ESV)

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5, ESV)

So next time God seems far, reach out to Him. He will never turn you away.