When God Seems So Distant
Question:
How am I to trust God when He seems so distant and my life
is so full of pressures?
Answer:
Hi there!
If this seems
like a lengthy answer, remember: you asked for it! :-)
Yes, in
suffering and bad times, we need to place our confidence in
God...confident in His love for us, His ultimate best
purposes for us.
But here's the rub: without an intimate relationship
with Him, how is one to trust Him? We don't know Him
well enough to trust Him. So, the circumstances of
the bad situation scream at us and our thoughts go crazy.
If our relationship with the Lord is personal enough and
trusting enough, then
...that part of us that is spirit,
...that part of us that lives forever,
...that part of us that is most like God
can rise above the details and chaos of the moment
to find shelter in God, who is Spirit.
How to get to this point?
We get to know who God is
...by studying Scripture,
...by meditating on what we are studying,
...by asking the Lord for understanding of Who He is,
...by getting help from a more spiritually mature mentor.
I would encourage you to pull out a few of the Scriptures
you have received in the emails. Pull out a few that
really catch your eye. Try meditating on them in the
morning, first thing. Let them roll over and over in
your mind. If you have any questions of the Lord, ask
Him. The answers don't usually come instantly.
But, they do come.
Example:
I was working with the Scripture about justice and peace
kissing. That sounds like an oxymoron to me. So
I asked the Lord, "What on earth does that look
like?"
The next day a very large pickup was pushing me to speed up
on a lonely desert, two-lane road with no passing. I
was already 15 miles above the stated limit and decided to
pull out in the one place ahead with a view-lookout.
It would be tricky because I was doing 70 mph and the pull
out was on a bind curve.
When I got to the pullout, there was a highway patrol car
in my spot. The officer was waving us over.
I slowed and pulled over as best I could while the pickup
went speeding by me and blasting its horn. The black
and white went in pursuit, succeeding in about a mile to
stop the pickup.
When I got to the scene, an officer was issuing a ticket to
the woman in the pickup. I slowed to pull over.
Surely, we were both getting tickets.
A second officer emerged from the highway patrol
car. Tall, tan and weathered with silvery hair, he
leaned against his car and waved me on with with a slow
wave and just a bit of a smile. I heard, "Peace and
justice have kissed. This is what it looks like."
(I warned you this might be lengthy!)
As the day goes on, remind yourself of the scriptures you
were meditating on earlier. Over time you will have
many of them memorized. These memorized scriptures
are what you use to battle with when you are under
attack. There is power in the Word that we have not
been able to define or measure. But, it is there and
you want it working for you!
Read about the Power of Words
and
the Power of Scripture
Words. Take time
to reflect on these articles. I know they will help!
I apologize that this sounds like a commercial, but also
consider getting No Storm Too
Great. The
music and nature sounds soothe and the scripture based
prayer really keeps good stuff going through your
head. It would be like a find instant breakfast
for your spirit in the morning.
Also, try going through Release the Power of Psalm
91 again in a
couple of months. It will all seem new and you
will have some sense of how you have grown spiritually
in that period of time. If you did not save your
lessons and emails, there is a sign-up page on the
website. No charge for a second sign-up :-)
So, hope this helps. I do know this: seek God and you
will find Him. That's one of His promises!