10 Things to Do When God Feels Far Away
Spiritual Life
Audio By Carbonatix
6:30 AM on Monday, March 23
By Carrie Lowrance, Spiritual Life
1. Read the Bible
While reading your Bible, take time to dig deep into its pages. Take your time to think about what you’re reading and take notes about your thoughts and feelings. If it helps, pick up a devotional or book about Bible study. If you have questions, write them down. Then, meditate on what you read.
It may be helpful to read the Bible with a friend or spouse and discuss what you’ve read. You could even research passages in the Bible that correlate with what you are going through to read and then discuss it. God's word is alive and active and has the power to change our lives!
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2. Pray
One of the quickest ways to feel near to God is to pray. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Talk to him like you would your spouse or a friend. Sometimes, we think prayer has to be complicated. It doesn’t. Talking to God should feel comfortable and like talking to a friend.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6, NLT)
Be honest with God about your feelings and your situation. God is there to listen, and he wants to help you. Even more important is to trust him. This can be extremely hard when he feels so far away, but it’s worth it, and he is always faithful to answer our prayers!
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3. Go to Church
Even though you may attend church every Sunday, add an extra service to your week if possible. Spending as much time as possible in God's house and with his people is one way to encounter God's powerful presence. This will help you feel more connected to God. Find a quiet area, sit, and bask in God's presence if you can.
Listen closely to the sermon and make notes of anything that touches your heart or helps bring you some clarity. Then, go home and study more about it in the Bible.
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4. Talk to Your Christian Friends
Talk to your Christian friends about how you feel. They will relate. We all go through seasons where we feel God is distant or not there at all. Be honest and let all your feelings out—anger, frustration, tears, everything. Your friends can take it, and they shouldn’t judge you because of it. When you’re done, listen to any wisdom they impart and bring it to heart. They are here to help and walk with you and only want the best for you.
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5. Talk to Your Pastor
Make an appointment to talk to your church pastor or elder. Some situations call for more specialized help or counseling than friends can provide.
Once again, be honest. Don’t be ashamed of how you feel. Remember that pastors aren’t perfect, and they may even think that God is distant occasionally in their own lives. Opening up to their counsel and insight can make way for growth and change in your life.
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6. Evaluate Your Spiritual Life
All relationships fail without proper care. The same goes for God. Take a step back, ask yourself how you have been treating him lately, and evaluate your actions.
Have you been asking him for a lot and not thanking him for what he has already done in your life? Maybe you aren’t reading the Bible or praying like you should. Do you talk to him regularly? Are you going to church regularly?
If you’re not doing the things you should as a Christian, it’s hurting your relationship with God, and it’s understandable why you feel distant from him. I don’t mean this as a guilt trip; if you don’t put in the effort to grow and cultivate your relationship with God, you will naturally feel distant from him.
Instead, seek him earnestly, confess and ask for forgiveness of your sins, and watch your relationship grow closer.
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7. Change Your Routine
Change things up if you spend time with God the same way daily. For example, if you read your Bible at the coffee table every morning before the kids get up, change your location. Wait until later in the afternoon and go to the park to read your Bible and soak up his creation.
Borrow a different version of the Bible to liven up your studies. Instead of reading the New Living Translation, borrow an NIV version from a friend and see how the word affects you when you read it written differently. If you’re bilingual, get a Bible in another language and read it.
Join a Bible study, pray differently, or volunteer with a church group.
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8. Shift Your Focus
When things aren’t going well, it’s easy to wallow in self-pity and focus on everything going wrong. It’s easy to ask, “Why me?” or “What did I do to deserve this?” but we risk becoming self-centered and selfish. It’s okay to self-examine briefly, but don’t stay there.
Instead, focus on something else other than your problems. Volunteer to help an organization. Reach out to your neighbors and see if they need help with something. Find a way to help people who are worse off than you are. Get your mind off your problems and your situation.
Even more importantly, list the blessings in your life and what God has done for you in the past. Remember what he has brought you through, and take heart that he can and will do it again. It may not wind up being the way you want, but he will bring you through whatever it is, and when it’s over, you can bless him for it.
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9. Read a Book
Go online and search for books about your situation and God—not necessarily the feeling of being distant from God, but why you feel distant from God. For example, if you’re going through a divorce, look for books about divorce and God.
One book I found that sounds good no matter what you are going through is God Will Use This For Good: Surviving the Mess of Life by Max Lucado. This book will help you not give up, trust God, and remember that he uses every situation for something good.
Take some time to reflect on unpleasant experiences and how God got you through them. Think about the things that happened that you knew could only be him working in that situation. Take heart in knowing he will get you through this, proving he is always close to you.
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10. Wait Patiently
When you feel distant from God, the most challenging thing you can do is to wait patiently and trust that he is working in the background of your situation, even when you can’t see it. I’ve had to do this in different situations in my life.
Several years back, I prayed about a situation but didn’t get an answer until December 2023. It took eight years to get an answer, and when I did, it gave me tremendous peace in my soul. I knew that even though I no longer had any connection to that situation, the person I was praying for would be okay because I knew God had them.
People say God gives three answers: yes, no, and wait. Waiting is the hardest, but you trust that what’s on the other side will be much better than what you think you want now. It will be correct when you get that answer, and you will feel close to God again.
If you hear God telling you to “wait,” trust it. He knows what he’s doing and is working the best for you (or someone you love) in the background.
It’s hard to feel like God is far away. It’s easy to feel like he doesn’t care or doesn’t see us or hear our prayers, but this isn’t true. He sees and hears everything. The best thing we can do is search our hearts, reach out to others, shift our focus, and learn to wait patiently for his answer. We know we will feel close to him again when we do these things.
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