When God Seems Far Away

Jesus said: In this world you will have trouble

(translate that personally) In your world you will have some trouble.

In this series on Trouble, we have already looked at the trouble of worry, the trouble of sorrow and the trouble of ‘when people fail you, hurt you or offend you.

these are problem things on our path called trouble,
these difficult events that interrupt our time on earth, are called trouble
these troubles in our lives, can cause our stomachs to turn, our hearts to pain, our anger to flare & our heads to ache

Troubles can have resolution -in God- so that we can have peace even amidst the troublesome storm.

Confession of a Pastor Trouble -when God seems far away

Pastor Matt: This morning, after dropping off my kids at school, I tried to pray. It should have been easy, since I was alone in the car. But I just couldn’t summon the focus or desire. My soul felt distracted, lethargic, listless. Nothing magically changed on the road. I’ve since made my way to a coffee shop, where I now sit, still stuck in a spiritual daze. God seems far away today; I’m not entirely sure why. It’s not like yesterday was bad. My wife and I didn’t fight this morning. I’m not facing a massive hardship at home or deadline at work or conflict at church. I wish, then, I could say that today feels shocking in its strangeness. What it feels like, though, is a semi-normal Tuesday.

What should we do on days—or even months or years—when the Lord seems distant? No, there isn’t a magic-bullet formula. But when God feels more like a concept than a reality.

Trouble -when God seems far away

Here’s a Bible story when God seemed so far away

Genesis 16: pregnant and mistreated Hagar has run away from Sarai and finds herself sitting by a well, discouraged, despondent, depressed and God is so far away when the angel of the Lord comes near and speaks to her

9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” (This was God speaking)

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; (the living one who sees me). (Beer La Ha’ ee Ro’w ee)

Jehovah Shammah -God is near and God sees you, God is present

Not only does God see you but God knows your very Name

Exodus 33

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” God knows you, your name because you are His child

God knows where you have been -He is the God of the past

Gods knows you right know Jehovah Shammah -God is here, present

God knows your future -God is eternal GOD KNOWS YOUR NAME

HE KNOWS MY NAME (Don Moen)

I have a Father, He calls me his own He'll never leave me, No matter where I go

He knows my name, He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls, And hears me when I call

I have a maker, He formed my heart Before even time began, My life was in his hands

He knows my name, He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls, And hears me when I call

Has this trouble of a far away God ever bothered you

Have you ever thought, no one cares not even God,

Have you ever thought, I’m all alone, I’m stuck, I’m at the end

Have you ever thought, why doesn’t God answer my prayer

Does God care, does God hear me, does God see me

Hagar, exuberantly names the well because she now knows that God sees her troubles

“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; (the living one who sees me).

And GOD SEES YOU

HE IS NOT AFAR OFF FROM YOU, HE KNOWS YOUR NAME

When God seems far away from you, a million miles away, I believe there are only 2 possible scenarios.

1) You have grieved the Holy Spirit, that is, you have unconfessed sin in your life

Unconfessed sin impedes intimacy with God. If you’re feeling far from him, seize the opportunity to take stock. Is there an area of life in which you’re openly rebelling against his Word? Are you excusing, or at least coddling, any secret sins?

Sins are not mere heavenly parking tickets; they’re personal assaults against a holy God. Disobedience, therefore, always leads to distance. And yet, the pages of Scripture ring with good news:

“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Prov. 28:13).

This Lord of holiness is, astonishingly, also the Lord of mercy. He delights to forgive, and embrace,

CONFESS RENOUNCE AND RETURN to intimacy with your God

When God seems far away from you, I believe the 2nd scenario is this:

2) You are believing (or feeling) a lie because God is always near and will never leave you. God is Jehovah Shammah, the God who is here, the God who is present, He is the God who knows your name

Bible verses to convince you that God is near

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 145:18

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, To all who call on Him in truth.

Jeremiah 23:23

“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off?

Jesus last words on earth declared to not only His disciples back then but to all who would call themselves disciples of Jesus “I will never leave you” I am is Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near.

I am learning not to trust my feelings but rather to trust what I know in my head is true from God’s word, the Bible.

my heart feels God is far away and doesn’t hear my Prayers, Nay Nay Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near
I’m all alone sitting by this well, my world is over, Nay Nay Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near
God doesn’t see my pain, my suffering, my abuse, my situation Nay Nay Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near
When you feel, when are troubled in your heart that God is distant let God’s truth of his nearness surround you and hold you, if you have unconfessed sin -confess it, forsake it and return to the warm of God’s presence in your life
did you know that every hair on your head God knows the number.
that every tear that fell from your face, the God who is near, caught it in a crucible before it hit the ground, God is near to you, very near

When God Seems Far Away

Jesus said: In this world you will have trouble

(translate that personally) In your world you will have some trouble.

In this series on Trouble, we have already looked at the trouble of worry, the trouble of sorrow and the trouble of ‘when people fail you, hurt you or offend you.

these are problem things on our path called trouble,

these difficult events that interrupt our time on earth, are called trouble

these troubles in our lives, can cause our stomachs to turn, our hearts to pain, our anger to flare & our heads to ache

Troubles can have resolution -in God- so that we can have peace even amidst the troublesome storm.

Confession of a Pastor Trouble -when God seems far away

What should we do on days—or even months or years—when the Lord seems distant? No, there isn’t a magic-bullet formula. But when God feels more like a concept than a reality.

Trouble -when God seems far away

Here’s a Bible story when God seemed so far away

Genesis 16: pregnant and mistreated Hagar has run away from Sarai and finds herself sitting by a well, discouraged, despondent, depressed and God is so far away when the angel of the Lord comes near and speaks to her

9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” (This was God speaking)

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; (the living one who sees me). (Beer La Ha’ ee Ro’w ee)

Jehovah Shammah -God is near and God sees you, God is present

Not only does God see you but God knows your very Name

Exodus 33

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” God knows you, your name because you are His child

God knows where you have been -He is the God of the past

Gods knows you right know Jehovah Shammah -God is here, present

God knows your future -God is eternal GOD KNOWS YOUR NAME

HE KNOWS MY NAME (Don Moen)

I have a Father, He calls me his own He'll never leave me, No matter where I go

He knows my name, He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls, And hears me when I call

I have a maker, He formed my heart Before even time began, My life was in his hands

He knows my name, He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls, And hears me when I call

Has this trouble of a far away God ever bothered you

Have you ever thought, no one cares not even God,

Have you ever thought, I’m all alone, I’m stuck, I’m at the end

Have you ever thought, why doesn’t God answer my prayer

Does God care, does God hear me, does God see me

Hagar, exuberantly names the well because she now knows that God sees her troubles

“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; (the living one who sees me).

And GOD SEES YOU

HE IS NOT AFAR OFF FROM YOU, HE KNOWS YOUR NAME

When God seems far away from you, a million miles away, I believe there are only 2 possible scenarios.

1) You have grieved the Holy Spirit, that is, you have unconfessed sin in your life

Unconfessed sin impedes intimacy with God. If you’re feeling far from him, seize the opportunity to take stock. Is there an area of life in which you’re openly rebelling against his Word? Are you excusing, or at least coddling, any secret sins?

Sins are not mere heavenly parking tickets; they’re personal assaults against a holy God. Disobedience, therefore, always leads to distance. And yet, the pages of Scripture ring with good news:

“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Prov. 28:13).

This Lord of holiness is, astonishingly, also the Lord of mercy. He delights to forgive, and embrace,

CONFESS RENOUNCE AND RETURN to intimacy with your God

When God seems far away from you, I believe the 2nd scenario is this:

2) You are believing (or feeling) a lie because God is always near and will never leave you. God is Jehovah Shammah, the God who is here, the God who is present, He is the God who knows your name

Bible verses to convince you that God is near

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 145:18

The Lord is near to all who call on Him, To all who call on Him in truth.

Jeremiah 23:23

“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off?

Jesus last words on earth declared to not only His disciples back then but to all who would call themselves disciples of Jesus “I will never leave you” I am is Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near.

I am learning not to trust my feelings but rather to trust what I know in my head is true from God’s word, the Bible.

my heart feels God is far away and doesn’t hear my Prayers, Nay Nay Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near

I’m all alone sitting by this well, my world is over, Nay Nay Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near

God doesn’t see my pain, my suffering, my abuse, my situation Nay Nay Jehovah Shammah, the God who is near

When you feel, when are troubled in your heart that God is distant let God’s truth of his nearness surround you and hold you, if you have unconfessed sin -confess it, forsake it and return to the warm of God’s presence in your life

did you know that every hair on your head God knows the number.

that every tear that fell from your face, the God who is near, caught it in a crucible before it hit the ground, God is near to you, very near

I have a Father, He calls me his own He'll never leave me, No matter where I go

He knows my name, He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls, And hears me when I call

PRAY.

At Riverside Community Church