Feeling Far from God

  Have you ever come to a point in your life where you feel as if God is not present - as if He feels distant and disconnected from the events of your everyday life?  Have you ever felt, when praying, as if you were talking to the wall? Perhaps you feel that way right now, or you know someone who does.  Whatever it may be, I have written this post in the hopes that it may be of some help.
   God promises that he will never leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). When God says never, he certainly means never, so it cannot be that God has actually forsaken you.
   'But', you may ask, 'Why do I not feel any peace and joy, as the scripture promises?  Why am I so miserable?  Surely a true Christian would not feel this way'.  
   There is a key word here, and one which you may have noticed - feel.  What are your feelings?  Are they a reliable indicator of your spiritual life, or merely arbitrary emotions?  It may be that you unconsciously have begun to adhere to Obi-Wan Kenobi's exhortation to Luke Skywalker - trust your feelings. Star Wars and the Bible are somewhat in contradiction here. The Bible, in contrast, tells us rather bluntly that he that trusts in his own heart is a fool (Proverbs 28:26), and that we should instead trust the Lord with all our heart (Prov. 3:6).  So clearly, our feelings are not a reliable indicator of our spiritual life.
  But does this necessarily mean that we ought to disregard feelings altogether? After all, was it not God who gave us emotions? 
  We should certainly not disregard emotions and feelings altogether, but we must realize where they come from.  If we feel discouraged and depressed, we could often point to a certain circumstance or occurrence that caused us to feel that way. 
  When we come to God, we must focus on God, not our feelings or circumstances.  We are encouraged to cast all our cares on Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).  When you are down and discouraged, remember that God Himself is unchanging, His love is unfailing, and His mercy endures forever.  We may fail, but He never fails.  He remains the same regardless of our events and circumstances.
   There is, however, another aspect to this issue which should be discussed - sin.  God chastens us for our sin, and we are not to despise it (Prov. 3:11, Heb. 12:5).  When He puts His finger on sin in our heart, we should not become introspective and focus on our failure, but rather repent and move on, living in victory.
   If we are unrepentant of our sin, and quench the Spirit as He seeks to convict us, then it is inevitable that a feeling of being distant from God will result. If you really seem to be far from God, it would be wise to pray with the psalmist: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24).
   On the correlation of sin and distance from God, we read in Isaiah 59:1-4:

  "1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

² But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
³ For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
⁴ None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."
    Sin brings separation from God. If you have any sin in your life which you are unwilling to repent of, God notices.  You cannot expect to have the same level of communion with God when you are willingly transgressing against Him.  
    "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
   Let us not be introspective, nor harbor unrepentant sin, but let us instead go on to completion (Heb. 6:1), looking to Jesus all the way.  
    Perhaps some feel far from God simply because they do not properly understand the gospel.  God is our Father - he does not cast us off the moment we mess up.  Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us (Rom. 8:34).  How cool is that?  He continues to intercede on our behalf in the presence of the Father.  
   Believe me, the Love of God is incomprehensible. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God (1 John 3:1).  It is not something which we have to labor for, as those of false religions who strive to please their false deities.  He poured out His love on us, even though we did not deserve it.
   Regardless of how downcast you may feel, and how distant God may seem, He is still there and He loves each and every one of us with an everlasting love. Think about that! The more you comprehend and grasp His love, the more you will find yourself loving Him. The Apostle Paul desired that his readers May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:18-19)
  Do not let doubt, discouragement, sin, or anything else cause you to feel far from God.  Go forth, living in victory, repenting of your sin, and loving God with a sincere heart.