When God Seems Distant

Ruth

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

—Psalm 13:1

When I slipped my arm around my dear friend, she melted in a puddle of tears. She felt like she was in the wilderness; it seemed God was not acting for her, and each month she waited for His answer became a heavier weight for her to carry. As we prayed together and cried together, she said, “It just seems like God is coming through for everyone else but me.”

I won’t pretend to fully understand what she was going through. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder if what she was experiencing was God coming through for her. Just in a different way. In a harder way. Ultimately, though, perhaps it was in a way that was giving her what she needed most—deep transformation of her soul.

We’ve probably all felt forgotten by God at times. Each of our suffering is unique. The Bible is full of people who wrestled with painful questions and emotions, like today’s verse: “How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?” (Psalm 13:1). The psalmist gave words to our cries, longings, and questions. Sometimes it seems as if God is distant or that He is hiding His face from us.

Often in these times, He is doing something different, something deeper. Those unanswered prayers are not evidence of God’s absence, but of God’s unique activity in our souls. While we would all rather rush through painful seasons and circumstances, these are usually when God does some of His greatest work in us.

When God seems distant, He is teaching us to seek Him and desire Him for who He is more than what He can do for us. Many times He is cultivating in us a deeper intimacy, humility, perseverance, trust, and hope. The hard road is usually the holy road—the journey God uses to bring about the deepest change that our souls desperately need.

So if you are feeling as if God is distant, be encouraged that God is doing something deeper in you. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Don’t rush this season. Don’t try to fast-forward your circumstances. Lean into the God who loves you and is continuing to do a great work in you (Philippians 1:6).

Lord, I know things are not always the way they appear or feel. I trust You and invite You to continue shaping me, even when it seems You are distant. I know You desire to transform me and do something deeper in my soul. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Where do you sense God wants to grow you the most in a difficult season or circumstance you may be facing or have faced in the past?