MCGI Topic Review | Why Do We Sometimes Feel We Are Far From God?
We, at times, become so distant to God in life, though we are aware that he is always close. This feeling has oftentimes been confusing and painful and I have gone through it so many times. I was able to understand this feeling through the MCGI topic review and reading the Bible that, although God has not abandoned us, there is something in our lives that leads to the loss of spiritual closeness to God.
Sin is one of the primary causes of us going so far out of God. Sin puts some sort of barrier between us and God. The Bible states in Isaiah 59: 2 that your iniquities have kept you apart with your God. This scripture made me have an eye opener. It helped me to realize that God does not abandon me, but my deeds may cause me to feel distant. Then I get heavy-hearted when I do wrong, and it is difficult to pray with assurance.
The other reason is the absence of prayer and lack of studying His word. When we cease praying, then our spirit is weakened. Prayer is a matter of breathing to a Christian. In James 4:8, it is stated in the Bible that, draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. This implies that in case I desire to be close to God, I have to make efforts towards Him. I need to communicate with Him on a daily basis, read the Bible, and speculate on His promises. As soon as I forget about these things, at least during more than a few days, I start getting an empty feeling inside me.
In other occasions, we are so distant to God due to our tribulations and emotional challenges. Life poses stress, misery, disillusionment, and fear. Such things have the potential to cloud our minds leaving us alone. Even David felt this way. In Psalm 13:1, he wept saying, How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? This demonstrates that even believers of strong faith can feel remote when they are going through hard situations. Nevertheless, God is omnipresent even when our feelings urge us to believe that it is not the case.
Alternatively, this feeling can be brought about by our expectations. At some point, we pray and fail to get the answer at that moment. We start thinking that God has forgotten us yet the fact is that He is doing something that we cannot see. Hebrews 13:5, God says, I will never abandon thee, nor leave thee. This one makes me stronger, it is a promise.
Conclusively, the experience of being distant to God does not imply that God is distant. It only implies that we must examine our hearts, resume praying, read His word more and trust Him even during dark times. God never leaves us alone; we are the ones who get lost. Since I am still learning using the teachings of the MCGI understanding, now I know that being close to God is a day-to-day experience, and He is always willing to accept me back into the fold whenever I call on Him