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Originally Posted by shale
The Word for Today with Bob Gass
Friday, 19th December 2003 Does God Seem Distant? The Lord has hidden Himself... but I trust Him. Isaiah 8:17 TEV Floyd McClung writes: "You wake up one morning and all your 'spiritual feelings' are gone. You pray but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil but it doesn't change anything. You go through spiritual exercises, have your friends pray for you, confess every sin you can imagine, then you go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast, still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom will last. It feels like your prayers bounce off the ceiling. In utter desperation you cry out: 'What's the matter with me?' This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. We all go through it! It's painful, but absolutely vital to developing your faith. You see, God is always present, even when you're unaware of Him. His presence is too profound to be measured by intellect or emotion. He's more concerned that you trust Him, than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, is what pleases God." "So what can I do?" you ask. Focus on God's unchanging love for you! Cling to His promises! During times of spiritual dryness rely on God's Word, not your emotions. Realise that He's taking you to a deeper level of maturity. Any friendship based on emotion is shallow indeed. So don't be troubled by trouble. God's grace is still in full-force. He's for you, even when you don't feel Him. |
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Originally Posted by shale
The Word for Today with Bob Gass
Friday, 19th December 2003 Does God Seem Distant? The Lord has hidden Himself... but I trust Him. Isaiah 8:17 TEV Floyd McClung writes: "You wake up one morning and all your 'spiritual feelings' are gone. You pray but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil but it doesn't change anything. You go through spiritual exercises, have your friends pray for you, confess every sin you can imagine, then you go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast, still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom will last. It feels like your prayers bounce off the ceiling. In utter desperation you cry out: 'What's the matter with me?' This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. We all go through it! It's painful, but absolutely vital to developing your faith. You see, God is always present, even when you're unaware of Him. His presence is too profound to be measured by intellect or emotion. He's more concerned that you trust Him, than that you feel Him. Faith, not feelings, is what pleases God." "So what can I do?" you ask. Focus on God's unchanging love for you! Cling to His promises! During times of spiritual dryness rely on God's Word, not your emotions. Realise that He's taking you to a deeper level of maturity. Any friendship based on emotion is shallow indeed. So don't be troubled by trouble. God's grace is still in full-force. He's for you, even when you don't feel Him. |