Purpose Driven Life: Day 14

WHEN GOD SEEMS DISTANT



POINT TO PONDER:

God is real, no matter how I feel.


VERSE TO REMEMBER:

"For [God] has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.'"
[Heb 13:5]


RICK WARREN'S THOUGHTS:

God is real, no matter how you feel.

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant.

God has promised repeatedly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." But God has not promised "you will always feel my presence." In fact, God admits that he sometimes hides his face from us.

Will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life?

"The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God."

When you fail to experience God's presence, do the following:

(i) Tell God exactly how you feel;

(ii) Focus on who God is -- his unchanging nature;

(iii) Trust God to keep his promises; and

(iv) Remember what God has already done for you.


Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that you're feeling.

Regardless of circumstances and how you feel, hang on to God's unchanging character. Remind yourself what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves me, he is with me, he knows what I am going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for my life.

When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him in spite of your feelings, you worship him in the deepest way.


D-MONK'S THOUGHTS:

How is it that, as Christians, we don't always feel God's presence? When he doesn't seem to be there, does that signify some sort of failure on our part? Do we assume we have a lck of faith?

I think Rick Warren has provided some good material here. Whatever my purpose on earth, it does not come with the guarantee that I will feel my maker alongside me. Some part of God's purpose for me here is to test me and to help me grow. And sometimes this can be best accomplished by forcing me to "go it alone." Faith cannot grow without challenges.

I do not always experience God in my life. I have gone through very long periods of time when it seemed as if he just wasn't there. Sometimes this was due to my actions -- I withdrew from or hid from God. But sometimes he isn't there even when I am earnestly seeking him.

I must remember in these times that he is still the giver of all that I have and that he still cares for, loves, and affirms me. These are the times that I need most to surrender to and trust in him.

Oh, God, I believe ... Help me in my unbelief!