Question & Answer 2 (What do you do when God feels far away?)

Question: I have faith that God is there and living, but sometimes i wonder why, as i cant feel anything as if he is guiding me in my life. People say pray and talk to God which i have tried and i feel like i get no answers, just silence. I just feel like im living my life alone.


Great question, thanks for posting.

Quick answer, if you here last year there is a great book to read that deals with this called Guidance and the voice of God, if you want to borrow a copy come and ask me or whoever (that goes for anyone, I assume nothing if you want to borrow it).


Longer answer, I know exactly what you feel like. Anyone who said the Christian life is like a bed of roses, forgot to mention the thorns. I have good days and bad days where I feel distant and close to God. The reality is that God guides most accurately and clearly through the Bible not through our feelings. The problem is we usually don't know our Bibles well enough to understand what God is saying.
This is the bit where it would be tempting to throw our hands in the air and go, "well I won't bother than!" But from experience I have found that the Bible has been the best guide (better than my brain and my friends) in my life. We need to keep reading our Bibles so that we know what God wants us to do.


In many cases it depends what you want guidance on. There are three different areas of life where we need to make decisions. The first area is right and wrong decisions. God gives us pretty clear guidance in the Bible in those situations. God says "Don't steal" and we know that we shouldn't steal (a car for example). There are other decisions in life that are wise and unwise decisions. The Bible may tell us to be wise. Therefore when we buy a car we use wisdom, we try and buy the car that will last longest and we try not to get swindled. But if we buy a car that is a lemon it doesn't mean we did the wrong thing, we were just a bit foolish. Finally there are decisions that the Bible doesn't really speak about or where the Bible says you have freedom. Whether you buy a pink car or a blue car is a matter of freedom, it really doesn't matter what you choose. What you need to work is what category the decision you have to make is in, and than make it. We should pray, we should see what God says in the Bible and than we should make our decision. We don't need to wait for a special voice or anything like that from God. God never promises us that, all we need to live life God's way is in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17).


Our feelings however make lousy guides, I can feel bad because I didn't eat breakfast, I can feel great for the whole day because I slept in. Feelings don't guide us very well. I have always found though that if I am feeling bad, it is not a bad idea to remember some of the promises God has made. Here are some promises that have helped me a lot:


God will never condemn those who trust and follow Jesus:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)




God is in control of everything and his plan is always for the God of Christians:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)




God will draw near to you, if you humble yourself and seek him:
Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8a)


Even though we don't see Jesus we have a heavenly hope, the same as Peter the apostle: (this is a big one)
³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)


Finally (if you are still reading) the words of this song have also proved a comfort to me, to remind me that just because I feel alone doesn't mean that I am:


Never alone, is now our cry
In joy, in grief, in lonely sin.
Never alone, for Christ is ours
He lives in us, we live in him.
And ’til we reach that final day
When fears are gone, cast far away
We'll live secure, trust in his love,
Never alone, Christ is with us, he’s with us.


(Never alone, Emu Music)


If you still want more on this feel free to contact me or you can watch this short video:


http://phillipjensen.com/video/phillip-asks-mark-dever-on-emotions/