S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Some of the most promising and spectacular words ever spoken by God are found in the book of Jeremiah: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you" (J...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

Why are there times in my life when finding God is so difficult?

Feeling a deep sense of distance from God is a profound, shared human experience. It often stems from life transitions, emotional exhaustion, or the difference between expecting an immediate, tangible feeling and learning to walk by faith.

There are seasons when finding God feels difficult because God is not a feeling, and the human heart goes through cycles of dryness, distraction, woundedness, and spiritual fatigue. Scripture shows that even the strongest believers experienced this. What you're feeling is deeply human—and deeply biblical.

Why God Can Feel Distant at Times

1. Spiritual dryness - Even David cried, "Why, O Lord, do You hide Yourself?" Dryness is not abandonment—it's a normal part of spiritual growth. It often happens when God is inviting you to seek Him more deeply, not just emotionally.

Emotional or mental exhaustion: When you're tired, stressed, grieving, or overwhelmed, your inner world becomes noisy. It's not that God is far away—your capacity to perceive Him is strained.

Unresolved pain or disappointment: Hurt can make the heart close in on itself. Sometimes the difficulty isn't that God is absent, but that pain is blocking your ability to receive comfort.

Distraction and overcrowded life: Modern life is loud. When your mind is constantly stimulated, silence feels foreign—and God often speaks in stillness.

God's purposeful hiddenness: There are times when God allows Himself to be less easily felt so that your faith matures from dependence on emotion to dependence on trust. This is not punishment—it's formation.

Spiritual opposition: Scripture teaches that there is resistance to your closeness with God. Sometimes the struggle is not internal but spiritual.

What These Seasons Actually Mean

1. You haven't lost God—your awareness has shifted.
God's presence is constant even when your perception is not.

2. Your faith is being deepened, not destroyed.
Faith that survives silence becomes unshakeable.

3. God is often closest when He feels most hidden.
Many believers only realise this in hindsight.

Here are practical, grounded steps that genuinely help:

Return to simple prayer — even one honest sentence.

Anchor yourself in Scripture — especially the Psalms of lament.

Practice quiet stillness — even 3 minutes of silence can soften the heart.

Talk to God about the distance — He invites honesty, not performance.

Stay connected to the community — isolation magnifies spiritual fog.

Look for God in small, ordinary places — not just in intense spiritual moments.

Feeling distant from God does not mean you are failing. It means you are human.

And it means God is inviting you into a deeper, quieter, more resilient kind of faith—one that doesn't depend on constant spiritual "highs" but on trust.

You can sense God again—not by forcing a feeling, but by gently reopening the parts of your heart that have gone quiet. 

Tell God honestly where you are. Say something simple like:

"Lord, I'm here. I don't feel you, but I want you."

Honesty is the doorway to intimacy. God never asks you to pretend.

God often whispers rather than shouts.

Look for Him in: the quiet in your chest - the breath moving in and out - 
the sense of being held, even if you can't explain it, the longing inside you—that longing is evidence of His work. 

You're not trying to manufacture a feeling - You're simply paying attention.

Let Scripture speak to you, not at you. Choose one short verse and sit with it. For example:

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted." (Psalm 34:18) Don't analyse it. Let it wash over you. Let it become a truth that holds you, even if you don't feel held. 

Invite God into one specific place of your life. Pick one area—fear, loneliness, confusion, numbness. Say:

"Lord, be with me here." - God often becomes most real when you stop trying to meet Him in the "right" place and let Him meet you in the true place.

5 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report