PDL 14 – When God Seems Distant

“I will wait for the Lord, who has hidden his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in God.” Isaiah 8:17 CEB

“Why do you stand so far away, Lord, hiding yourself in troubling times?” Psalm 10:1 CEB

[God] has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13.5b ESV

Day 14 of 40: “God is real, no matter how I feel.”

That makes perfect sense to me since, personality-wise, I am high on the thinking side of the “think/feel” scale. It’s not that I am unfeeling… in fact, my feelings can go all over the place… and sometimes they seem to have a mind of their own. But usually, when push comes to shove, I rely on my rational side to make decisions.

I am trying to think back to some “Dark Nights of the Soul”… but I’m not having much success. I can remember some very difficult times in the past… but they all seem very “long ago and far away” and I wouldn’t describe them as times of feeling like God had abandoned me. They seem more like just something I had to go through… sometimes I brought them on myself… and sometimes I didn’t.

But, once I surrendered my life to God, I never doubted He loved me and would never leave me or forsake me – whether I felt His nearness or not. I take God at His Word… and a promise is a promise.

When I don’t feel particularly close to God, I find that music soothes and heals my soul… and reminds me that “He loves us” – and that includes me.