How do we live faithfully when God seems distant, silent, or absent? Learn to maintain faith and pursue Christlikeness even when the 'felt presence' of God is gone.
The Triune God of love—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—loves us! We are beloved children of our Heavenly Father, united to Jesus, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet how can God invite us to call him “Abba,” or “Daddy,” and then feel so far away? Is God avoiding us or is the problem within us?
To understand how to maintain faith and pursue God when He feels silent or absent, recognizing this tension as a path to deeper trust and Christlikeness.
Soldiers become familiar with the fog of war—the inevitable uncertainty about where the enemy is and when they plan to attack. As Christians, when do we talk about the spiritual fog? We often feel a persistent ambiguity about where God is or how He plans to intervene.
When I first became a Christian, the joy of knowing God transformed my life. I couldn’t imagine a day when I didn’t feel happy in his presence. But as an adult, I’ve endured seasons when I wondered if I would ever feel his presence again.
God’s original blueprint, as theologian Desmond Alexander notes, is for the whole earth to become a temple-city where everyone is in God’s presence. Throughout Scripture, God reveals His desire to be near: - **Intimate Creator:** Distance is no obstacle (Psalm 139). - **Involved Father:** We are beloved children (Romans 8). - **Incarnate Jesus:** God became flesh to dwell among us (John 1). - **Indwelling Spirit:** God lives within us (Ezekiel 36).
Few Christians always feel God’s presence. Even Mother Teresa wrote of a "blank" where God should be, experiencing a spiritual darkness for years. This desolation can take many forms: God’s silence, spiritual dryness, the weight of suffering, or even the unaddressed sin that Isaiah warns can hide His face (Isaiah 59:2).
How do we move forward when God seems absent? 1. **Affirm God’s Faithfulness:** Recall ancient wonders (Psalm 77). 2. **Be Honest with God:** He honors transparent prayers (Psalm 44). 3. **Consoled by Jesus:** Jesus knew the cry of abandonment on the cross. 4. **Draw Near:** Maintain habits sustained by faith, not feelings. 5. **Find Purpose:** Trust that God is forming you in the shadows.
When we endure a "dark night of the soul," art can sometimes be the only answer. The Rothko Chapel in Houston, with its large dark canvases and single skylight, serves as a visual invitation to John 1:5: “The light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?”... Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
What metaphors does the Psalmist use to illuminate his sense of God's absence?
How does the Psalmist encourage himself to keep seeking God despite his dejection?
How does Jesus' cry of abandonment on the cross transform your understanding of God's apparent absence?
In what ways does our culture's emphasis on immediate gratification make this paradox more challenging?
God, I stand in the spiritual fog today, uncertain of where you are or when you'll act. Though I cannot always feel Your presence, I choose to believe you are faithful. I thank you that Jesus knew the pain of feeling abandoned, yet he remained faithful. Help me to draw near to you. Amen.
Share a time when God felt distant. How did you respond, and what (if anything) renewed your sense of His presence?
How does it help to know that seasons of spiritual dryness are common to saints like Mother Teresa?
How can we support one another during 'dark nights' without resorting to simple, dismissive answers?
Incorporate one practice (like journaling or fixed-hour prayer) that helps you stay grounded in God's promises rather than your shifting feelings.
Reach out to one friend this week who you suspect might be experiencing spiritual dryness. Simply offer presence and a listening ear.
Identify one specific spiritual habit you will maintain this week specifically to 'wait' on God, regardless of whether you feel His presence during it.
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