Mar 9, 2011
Why is God Distant Sometimes? Part 3-Drawing Near
When I’ve felt most distant from God, God has eventually drawn me near again. The time I’ve spent feeling far away from God and unable to hear his voice has been difficult and uncomfortable. I have no idea why it happened sometimes.
On several occasions God overcame my doubts and fears by sending someone to pray over me. Something spiritual snapped, and I reached a new place in my spiritual walk.
Within a few months I had plenty of new problems. Thankfully God is able to draw us near to himself in several ways, the ones I know from personal experience are included below:
Confess Sins
We could say a lot about the theology behind sin and obedience, but I find it most helpful to think of sin as a matter of direction. That’s how Jesus often spoke of the Kingdom—either we’re entering it or we’re not. Are we moving toward God or away from him?
If we are sinning, we are moving away from God and will be unable to draw near to God. The laws of the Old Testament are among our many clues that God desires to have fellowship with us, but we must be holy and obedient. We show our love through obedience, and our obedience is sparked by our love.
Receive Prayer
Sometimes we need a friend to help us break through to the place where God wants us to be. I have found this to be particularly true in my own experience since it can be hard to get somewhere I’ve never been. When a fellow believer who knows where I’m coming from and where I need to go prayed for me, God moved me to a new place of freedom.
Whenever the Gospel spread, there is a clear precedent in the New Testament for believers to pray for one another, especially those who are new to the faith. I’ve found that the same principle sometimes applies when we need God to lead us out of a rut or into a deeper aspect of the spiritual life.
Wait in Faith
Yesterday we talked about letting go of our expectations, but there’s a balance to aim for here. While we don’t define how God will act, we should certainly expect to meet with him in some way.
I’ve often found that when I sit down and ask God to guide me, he’ll direct me to worship him. I may not find the exact answer I’m looking for that day, but the important thing is to remain in Christ, our life-giving vine. We may have to wait a while before we experience God in the ways we’re looking for, but God desires to meet with his people. He will not abandon us.
How do you hear from God?
What’s your experience in breaking through a tough time when you couldn’t hear God?
What strikes me about this post is that you’ve “received prayer” from others. I think many people are comfortable with the idea of people praying “for” them, supposing that the prayer goes on away from them. But the idea of one person coming close to another, perhaps gently placing a hand on the other’s shoulder, and invoking God’s presence right there in the moment–well, that’s beyond most people’s experience. But what could be more natural for those who claim to carry the presence of the Spirit within them than to pray over another person?
Totally. I’m glad you’ve sensed this tension too!
I often struggle with this because I sometimes sense that God wants me to pray for someone, but I’m not sure how it will be accepted. It’s a tough line to walk between obedience and creepiness…
I understand. Yet I have never had anyone turn me down when I offer to pray for them on the spot. Some are clearly touched, others politely endure my eccentricity, and some are even healed! Obedience should win, and the creepy-factor will diminish over time.
Well said and good point.