Why Does God Feel Far Away?
When my family and I were in China, we learned a praise song that was titled, “The Sun Above The Clouds”. As I thought about the title, it suddenly dawned on me that the writer was correct: even in the midst of the worst storms possible, God is still reigning above it all even if you can’t see Him, feel Him, or realize it at the moment. It’s a compelling picture, one that we can all easily relate to, and a truth that needs to be tucked deep into our souls as we battle questions like “Why does God feel far away?”
The truth is that God is near. From the first page of the Bible until the last, that God is not far away is a constant theme. In the early chapters of Genesis, God walked with Adam and Eve. He spoke to Cain, Noah, Abraham. He called Moses to lead His people and showed His presence to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. And yet, although God was near, so many times it was humanity that chose to walk the other way. Adam and Eve chose the desire to be more like God over friendship with God. Cain chose revenge over honor. The Israelites chose passivity over relationship. In so many cases, God pursued closeness while humanity forced distance.
God’s pursuit of closeness with humanity culminated in Emmanuel, God with us. Those Christmas songs remind us that the birth of Christ was so much more miraculous than we realize. God chose to live among us and once again walk with us through the person of Jesus. Even in this, humanity missed the reality of God’s closeness as they sent Jesus to the cross. And the cross is a most unexpected picture of distance. As the sin of the world was laid on Jesus, He Himself experienced the distance that every human has experienced due to our sinful nature: “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” Although He had not sinned, He experienced that reality of distance we live and breath every day.
Even though we sin and often choose to distance ourselves through distraction and selfish ambition, there are times when God allows the feelings of far away for a bigger purpose. Job regularly pursued a relationship with God and it is for just this reason that he experienced more reasons for distance than we can imagine. David trusted God repeatedly and yet often felt abandoned while Saul was seeking to destroy him. God’s bigger purpose is ultimately for His glory and the distance we experience causes us to realize how much we really do need Him and how amazing it is to walk with Him.
As I was reminded recently, we should not seek on earth what is ultimately promised in Heaven. Someday we will no longer feel far away, we will finally be home, and we will see Him as He truly is!
Here are some questions to ask yourself and others to spark some spiritual conversations:
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What has been your experience of feeling far away from God?
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What are some times when you have experienced closeness with God?
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How can knowing the truth that “God is near” help us redirect our feelings of “God is far away?”