I recently heard a pastor say that he realized that the reason he did not feel God as much was because of him. Because he had sin unconfessed in his life and not drawn himself closer to God. He did not mention any other reason that we could feel less close to God.
Something about that hit me the wrong way. I don't believe that God feels further away only at times when we back off. No, I think he can seem distant when we are doing everything we are "supposed" to. I think he sits back sometimes and waits for us to come to him even if there is no "sin" in our lives. He lets us feel further so our faith can increase.
Think about people you truly love and how it is if you have to be separated from them for any length of time. Distance does make the heart grow fonder. It may be more difficult, for sure, but you come to miss them, appreciate them more, and savour the moments you do have with them. I think distance can be a great asset in a relationship at the right times, and that also applies to our relationship with God.
I think we can be doing everything we know to do to be close to God, but when we still don't feel it, it doesn't mean we are doing something wrong. It may just mean that it is a time when he is using space to create...create something new and different in our relationship. He said he never leaves. I believe that. I also think that as our relationship evolves with him, we may feel more distance because it doesn't look the same as it used to.
So, not feeling close can be a good thing. It can mean we are maturing as Christians. If that distance is from our sin and lack of wanting to know him more, the gap will feel much different. There will be turmoil involved. We will be running away from him, feel guilt and may become numb. But, I believe when the distance is from God doing something good in us, the silence will be filled with expectation and a growth in our faith. It will be a full type of waiting-for him to come down and get in our face like we have never known before.
Something about that hit me the wrong way. I don't believe that God feels further away only at times when we back off. No, I think he can seem distant when we are doing everything we are "supposed" to. I think he sits back sometimes and waits for us to come to him even if there is no "sin" in our lives. He lets us feel further so our faith can increase.
Think about people you truly love and how it is if you have to be separated from them for any length of time. Distance does make the heart grow fonder. It may be more difficult, for sure, but you come to miss them, appreciate them more, and savour the moments you do have with them. I think distance can be a great asset in a relationship at the right times, and that also applies to our relationship with God.
I think we can be doing everything we know to do to be close to God, but when we still don't feel it, it doesn't mean we are doing something wrong. It may just mean that it is a time when he is using space to create...create something new and different in our relationship. He said he never leaves. I believe that. I also think that as our relationship evolves with him, we may feel more distance because it doesn't look the same as it used to.
So, not feeling close can be a good thing. It can mean we are maturing as Christians. If that distance is from our sin and lack of wanting to know him more, the gap will feel much different. There will be turmoil involved. We will be running away from him, feel guilt and may become numb. But, I believe when the distance is from God doing something good in us, the silence will be filled with expectation and a growth in our faith. It will be a full type of waiting-for him to come down and get in our face like we have never known before.
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