There are times when it feels like God seems distant. Even though we persist in asking Him to intervene in our particular struggles, His silence can lead to feelings of disappointment and doubts about our faith.
In this article, I intend to share principles and common themes that explain why God may appear distant, drawing from scriptural references. My goal is to inspire you to maintain trust and faith in God, even during times when He seems distant and silent.
1. How God Draws Us To Himself
God often guides us towards Himself through His word, miraculous signs, and through dreams and visions. By presenting us with powerful words or signs, He piques our curiosity, leading us to seek a deeper connection with Him. As we pursue this relationship, we then place our trust in Him as the ultimate authority in our lives.
Once we have established a strong faith in God, as we navigate through life, we might sense a distance from Him when faced with life’s challenges. The God who performs miracles and wonders may appear elusive during times when we are in need of His intervention and rescue.
2. When God Seems Distant
Moses requested God to reveal His ways to him, seeking a deeper understanding to lead the children of Israel to the promised land while enjoying God’s favor. In response, the Lord assured Moses that He would accompany him personally.
Thereafter Moses asked God to show him His glorious presence. Then God’s response was, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen” (Genesis 33:21).
From the passage above, we can extract some principles to understand the perceived distance of God.
3. When God Seems Distant, His Hand Is Upon Us
Moses had multiple interactions with God who displayed many miraculous signs before him. This eventually led him to ask to witness the full glory of God. However, human beings are unable to withstand God’s glory entirely. Our nature is too fragile to stand in the presence of God as He truly is.
Therefore, when our lives are devoid of lacking any divine signs and wonders, we can find comfort in knowing that God’s hand is upon us just as it was on Moses when he asked God to show him His glory.
Joseph experienced divine dreams when he was 17 years old. When His brothers sold him to slavery, there is no further mention of any divine encounters. It seemed like God was silent and distant when he was in Egypt.
By employing the principle of the highlighted verse, we can confirm that the hand of God was over his life despite being a slave. Genesis 39:2 reads, “The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served the home of his Egyptian master”. His master, Potiphar, recognized that the Lord was with Joseph (Genesis 39:3).
The same is true for Jesus, He experienced and used the power of God when ministering the message of the Good News. Even the voice of God broke out from heaven confirming that he is the Son of God (Matthew 3:17).
However, he cried out at the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:45). This was the moment when even the Son of God understood what God’s silence and distance seem like.
Throughout the entire ordeal, God’s presence was constant, with Jesus under His protection. This was evident as the earth shook and rocks split when Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:50-51).
The presence of God is often associated with earth-shaking events in Scriptures (Nahum 1:5; Acts 16:25-26, Isaiah 64:1). Therefore, the presence of God was upon Jesus at the cross even though Jesus felt forsaken.
4. Stand On The Rock
God made Moses to stand Moses on the rock and placed him in the crevice of the rock so that His hand may cover Him. This is symbolic to being established in Christ, the Rock of All Ages.
Only the Rock can endure the magnificence of God’s presence as it moves through, as Jesus, the Rock, is one with God (John 10:30).
The crevice on the rock, where Moses was concealed, also symbolizes the piercing on Jesus’ side during the crucifixion (John 19:34). It is through this crevice that we enter into the body of Christ to become one with him.
Hence, in moments of God’s “distance”, lets stand firm on the Rock, and in Christ, maintaining trust and faith in God’s word, for He is faithful.
5. God Is With Us
Jesus is called to Immanuel which means God is with us. Staying at the crevice of the Rock, Jesus, is testament to the fact that God is with us (Matthew 1:23).
Moses who was in between the rock and the hand of God, did not witness any sign and wonder. And even in the absence of physical evidence of God’s presence, he stayed in the rock and trusted that God was present.
God’s promise in Deuteronomy 31:8 guarantees His constant presence with us, never abandoning or forsaking us. This assurance of God’s eternal presence gives us the confidence that no matter the circumstances, we will overcome and achieve victory.
6. See God’s Glory From Behind
Remaining steadfast in faith, even when it feels like God is far away, allows us to witness His glory. Looking back, we can see how all the puzzle pieces fell into place, unveiling the complete picture and purpose behind the events in our lives, ultimately revealing God’s glory.
When God said to Moses, you will see my glory from behind, He meant that God’s glory will be seen in retrospect. This is true for the life of Joseph, while he was in slavery, God’s glory was not evident because His hand was over his life, obscuring Joseph from seeing the glory of God.
But when Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, that was the final piece of the puzzle that revealed God’s glory. Joseph tells his brothers not be upset for selling him into slavery for God sent him ahead of them to keep their family alive and preserve them from the famine (Genesis 45:5-7).
Likewise, Jesus’ resurrection revealed the glory and power of God. His disciples could now finally understand his teachings and why Jesus had to go on the cross.
A seemingly bleak situation transformed into a time of celebration. Following his ascension, the Holy Spirit arrived. It became clear why Jesus had to undergo death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, paving the way for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us all.
7. Final Remarks.
This article aimed at providing guidance to adopt when we feel that God is silent or distant. Through Moses’ encounter with God, the revelation is that God is never distant or silent. He is always with us.
We can continue to be rooted and grounded in His word – Christ, the Rock – he keeps us safe despite the external circumstances we may be going through.
We can confidently wait upon the Lord to see His glory for the bible assures us it will come!
- The disciples waited for the Holy Spirit and it finally came, they began to live to glorify God by preaching the gospel and performing miraculous signs
- Joseph waited to be reunited with his father and the rest of the family, their reunion finally arrived. God was glorified for sending Joseph to Egypt ahead of the famine that would have killed his entire family.
- Jesus waited to be resurrected to life, and the power of God rose him thus bringing glory to God (John 17:1).
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