Thank goodness the Lord’s proximity is not based on my feelings.
Today I woke up feeling distant. Distant from myself. Distant from God. I could not focus on any task at hand or even find the motivation to get into God’s word. This is something that is so hard to admit but I also know that it is a struggle I am not alone in. In these moments it is easy to fall into the lie that God truly is distant from us. As if His love for me has changed within the time that I went to sleep until now. That I somehow did something so profound that it truly removed me from our omniscient God. Thankfully, the undeniable truth is that His love NEVER has changed and never will. From everlasting to everlasting His word and His heart remain the same. Romans 8:38-39 provides a tangible reminder for us to retreat back to and lean on in these moments.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When we read these powerful verses I think we often have the tendency to picture external forces that are acting against us and are out of our control. But what I am proposing is that we broden our lenses and consider the fact that at times the greatest force working against us is invisible. It is one that can at times go unnoticed and remain undetected if we allow ourselves to remain oblivious. This threat is our own feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I am well aware of the fact that our emotions are ever changing, unpredictable, and often out of our own control, but this is why we can not depend on them. Why would we identify ourselves with something so unstable? Within minutes our minds have the ability to go from joyful to bombarded with anxiety. Of course in our moments of joy it is easier to identify, seek, and feel God’s goodness. When the anxious or sad thoughts enter in, it is as if a foggy lens is placed over the eyes of our hearts. We are less likely to recognize God’s presence. Fortunately for us, just because we may not be blatantly aware of it at the time, it does not mean it is not there.
We may have our own eyes closed, but this does not make us invisible. God never turns His face away or takes steps backwards. It is only us as humans who turn away or step to the side. The hearts of people are fickle to a fault, inconsistent and ever-changing. God know this. He has always known this and He loves us anyways. He loves us through it all. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9. In the same way that I can go from leaping with God’s joy to wallowing in self pity, I can find myself swimming in His light again within seconds. This instability is not to be seen as an excuse or something to write off. We must be cautious to not fall into the habit of this shiftyness because he does offer us everlasting joy and consistent peace.
I happened to stuble across a quote today by Max Lucado that pertains to the message I am trying to convey. He presented it like this, “Don’t equate the presence of God with a good mood or a pleasant temperament. God is near whether you are happy or not.” This is such a good reminder for any of us to receive on most days honestly. As humans it’s easy to conduct and perceive our lives according to our feelings. Honestly, the world encourages this. So often we are told that our feelings are valid and trustworthy. But as we just heard in Jeremiah 17:9, the heart (our feelings) is deceitful. Deceitful above ALL things. Why would we lean on this as our source of confidence, strength, or truth? Yes, checking in with ourselves and evaluating the state of our innerselves is important. Absolutely. But, we can not allow ourselves to fall into the lie that God has taken a step back just because we find ourselves in a moment where we don’t “feel” close to Him. The good thing is, there are ways to combat this. The cure comes in the form of praise, thanksgiving, and acknowledgment of His presence. These acts, especially in darker periods, can sound exhausting, but the good news is we can easily incorporate them into our daily lives. Actually, that is what we were created to do ALL of the time, Paul reveals this to us in Galtatians when he said, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Galatians 3:17 ESV. From cooking breakfast to serving in the church to being lost in thought, if we motivate everything we do with the goal of doing it FOR Him, then we will remain in a state of awareness. We will remain in a sate where His proximity is undeniable. We will constantly be acknowledging His presence.
We have to hold fast to the promise that God has never changed and He never will. I pray that this be the only crutch that we lean on as we walk through those moments of wavering emotions. That the one truth that echoes in our minds be that “there is nothing I can do that can separate me from God’s loving hand”.
The undeniable truth of God’s nearness is presented to us by David when he wrote:
“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10, NIV)
