“Why does God seem so distant?”

Fear, worry, and anxiety consumes us. It leaves us with uncertainty and paralyzes us. We need to trust the Lord but it can be hard. I feel that we’ve all been there at some point at least once if not more. But before you leave I just want to tell you about how powerful and victorious the Lord is. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10. 

God is the Creator of the universe. The creative genius to craft everything into working together in sync. How awesome is He? He is a craftsman. Just look at the world around you. Look at the stars, look at the sea, look at the human body! Everything screams creator. A. W. Tozer from his devotional book, “the Trinity” states that God is the “uncaused cause”. Just think about that. He is God. It is so mind-blowing who He is, and we barely know a glimpse of Him. 

Psalm 19:1 & 2 says, “the Heavens declare the Glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.”

Every day and every night God reveals Himself and if we look at nature as His creation it shows how magnificent and omnipotent. Omnipotent means God having unlimited power. Able to do anything. And think of it, He is able to do anything because He created everything.  But sometimes why do we feel so distant? Is God too big? Is God too busy? No.  Is God really there at all sometimes? Yes, He is. He really is. 

Look at the sun. At night time, it becomes dark outside, but does that mean that darkness has overcome the light? No! The sun is still there but it moves. Whenever the clouds cover the sun, has darkness overcome? No. Light will always overpower. Light overcomes darkness. Light never fades— it is always there, but it just moves out of sight or is covered. Dark isn’t dark enough to vanquish the light. Only light can vanquish the dark. And in the way that light vanquishes darkness, Jesus overcomes all. Nothing can stand in His way. And He is always with us, whether we can or cannot see Him, He is always working. Joshua 1:9 says, “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. And we can always come to Him with our struggles. God isn’t a god who distances Himself from us. Well, because He is all good, sin cannot be in His presence, but thankfully He sent His One and Only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that we can live in the presence of God and not go to hell. So if you are weary, burdened, in pain, in worry, seek His face.  

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “come to Me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. And if you are scared “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7. And if you are ever scared, repeat this verse but say instead, “God has not given ME a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”.

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13. If you seek after Him, you will find Him! Abide in Him and He will abide in you! “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8. Of course, we need to make sure our intentions are pure and there isn’t sin separating us from Him.

The Lord wants you to seek His face and find refuge in Him. We are often weary and burdened from life so as we continue life, He can be our strength and guidance because HE is the all knowing God. HE is the all powerful God. HE created time and space. HE created the earth and universe. HE created nature and creatures. HE created humans. HE created YOU. And to put things in perspective, God created Satan. So, that shows how powerful God is. How can Satan be more powerful than God, Who created him. God knows the END because He created the end, the middle, the beginning. He has a plan. More complex than all we know and we are privileged enough to take part in His plan. But we must trust the Lord and in His ability to lead us through all the situations in our life or else we are faithless. He has already won the war— God knows the outcome. It is just up to us whether or not we want to be on the winning side. And God was loving enough to give us free choice so we can choose that for ourselves. But free will is another post for another time, so I’ll continue on this subject. 

And even if He seems distant, continue to seek Him. You may not be looking in the right places, or something in your life is covering His will for you like a cloud. Keep praying. Keep worshipping His majesty. Maybe next time the sun sets, run after it to continue seeking the light. Or if clouds cover the Sun, be patient and wait for them to move. Or change your perspective. A lot of times there is something in our lives blocking us and blinding us and numbing us from seeing and hearing from God. And it could be that other things are telling you that you aren’t enough. You aren’t good enough for God. Or that Jesus can’t love you. Well that’s a bunch of malarkey. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen. And this is a passage almost everybody knows Christian or non Christian. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16. But it doesn’t say For God so loved the Christians. Or for God so loved the perfect. He says God so loved the WORLD. 

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12

Keep seeking His face and He will show Himself to you if your heart is right.

The last scripture I will share is my favorite. Psalm 19:14. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations if my heart be acceptable in Your sight O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer”. I hope you all have a blessed day, and continue to be a light.