If You Feel Like God is Far Away + FREE Bible Reading Plan
Have you ever felt like God was distant from you? Maybe you don't think He's mad or upset with you, but perhaps you just feel He has more important things to think about than little ole me. I mean, He does have a universe to run right? I'm sure me and my problems can wait.
I thought this way for years, far longer then I'd care to admit.
I grew up knowing God loved me, I knew the punishment for sin was taken on the cross and He had accepted me into His family… But that was about it. I didn't feel close, near or cherished by Him. I felt like another obligation of someone who had accepted Jesus, so he HAD to let me in. I didn't really feel like I was cherished, admired or adored by God.
He was mighty and great, which to me meant distant.
I figured I just had to suck it up, hide my desire to feel wanted and prove my faith in every way I could. The problem with this was, it never stops there.
I spent a majority of my life trying to FEEL wanted by people. Whether it was friends, coworkers or boyfriends, I tried my hardest to be a girl worth paying attention to. I was so desperate to get that emotional high of feeling like someone wanted, needed or desired me - something I was created to get from God since He's the only one who could truly fulfill that need deep within my heart.
It took me a while but I finally realized that no one on this earth will be able to fulfill me apart from Jesus. Not my friends, not my family, not even my husband. And when I start to accept the love and adoration that God has for me, then I stop making it everyone else's responsibility to love me and to make me emotionally secure.
“Eternal life means to know and experience you as the only true God, and to know and experience Jesus Christ, as the Son whom you have sent.”
I think the biggest reason why so many of us aren't walking in this fulfillment is because we don't really know God's heart. We don't know His character or His true intention for us as His daughters. And when we don't know His heart towards us, then we won't be certain that His plans are good, that His promises are sure or that His intention is right. We'll be easily swayed by public opinion, who changes their mind about God depending on their current mood. We'll believe the lies of the enemy and accept them as truth, taking the word of God out of context and filtering it through the scrapes and bruises on our souls.
“For if you embrace the truth, it will release more freedom into your lives.”
One of the biggest reasons it took me so long to truly draw near to God was that I was afraid if I did - if I risked it all and took a step towards Him - I wouldn't really get to know Him like I thought and I would realize He didn't really care much to draw near to me.
But it's quite the opposite!
When we take that step of faith to draw near, what we come to see is all of the ways that our Heavenly Father has ALREADY drawn near to us.
We realize He has always been there - watching, waiting, whispering and calling to the deepest needs of our hearts, ready and willing to fulfill each one.
So let's not waste anymore time stagnate in fear. The enemy of your soul wants to keep you as far away from God and His word as he possibly can. Because he knows that within God's word lives every promise, truth and whisper of love that will tie your heart to His forever.
Once you truly get to know your wild, creative and everlasting God, you'll begin to recognize when He's speaking to you and when He's not. Suddenly, you start to discern what the lies of the enemy are in your life and you stop giving them a foothold into your soul. You become an unstoppable force that shatters the gates of hell and releases the purposes of Heaven on this earth.
So let's pick up our bibles and wield them like a sword in our hands, standing firm in the truth of whose we are and the acceptance we have in Him.
“For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy, and it pierces more sharply than a two-edged sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but the bible can be pretty overwhelming. I mean, where do you even start? And should you start with one book and finish it before moving on to the next? Before we realize it, what started out as a genuine mission to get to know God more, turns itself around to a religious practice that we feel we’ve failed in before we even begin!
That's why I created a FREE Bible Reading Plan just for my lovely email subscribers. Come with me on a 30-day journey as we lean into His presence and understand the true heart of our Maker.
He’s calling out to you and wants you to draw near to Him as He whispers His love and promises into your heart.
Click below to sign-up and get instant access to your new Bible Reading Plan! Let it be a tool to write the story of your life with Christ well.
Feeling stuck in your bible reading and unsure where to begin?
I totally get it! Check-out my Drawing Near Bible Reading Plan that will help you lean into God’s presence and understand the true heart of your Maker.
Whatcha waitin’ for girl, let’s get started!