God is real, no matter how you feel. It’s easy to worship God when things are going great in your life—when he has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant. How do you worship God then?
The deepest level worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering and loving him when he seems distant.To mature your friendship, God will test it with periods of seeming separation—times when it feels as if he has abandoned or forgotten you. God feels a million miles away.
Besides Jesus, David probably had the closest friendship with God of anyone. God took pleasure in calling him a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet David frequently complained of God’s apparent absence: Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most? (Psalm 10:1). Why have you abandoned me? (Psalm 42:2).
Of course, God hadn’t really left David, and he doesn’t leave you. He has promised repeatedly, I will never leave you not forsake you (Deut. 31:8). But God has not promised you will always feel my presence. In fact, God admits that sometimes he hides his face from us (Isaiah 45:15). There are times when he appears to be MIA, missing-in-action, in your life. You go thru spiritual exercises… you have your friends pray for you…you confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast… still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days? Months? Will it ever end? This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. It’s painful but it’s absolutely vital for the development of your faith.
When God seems distant you may feel that he is angry with you or is disciplining you for some sin. In fact, sin does disconnect us from intimate fellowship with him by disobedience… (James 4:4; Psalm 51). This is a test of faith—one we all must face: will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his in your life? When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers---so you’ll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.
TELL GOD EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL …did you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith? Trusting God but feeling despair at the same time, David wrote, I believe, so I said, I am completely ruined (Psalm 116:10).
FOCUS ON WHO GOD IS—HIS UNCHANGING NATURE …when Job’s life fell apart, and God was silent, Job still found things he could praise God for:
TRUST GOD TO KEEP HIS PROMISES …I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread (Job 23:12).
REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE FOR YOU Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.
The Lord has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him –Isaiah 8:17
For God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you –Hebrews 13:5
The deepest level worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering and loving him when he seems distant.To mature your friendship, God will test it with periods of seeming separation—times when it feels as if he has abandoned or forgotten you. God feels a million miles away.
Besides Jesus, David probably had the closest friendship with God of anyone. God took pleasure in calling him a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet David frequently complained of God’s apparent absence: Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most? (Psalm 10:1). Why have you abandoned me? (Psalm 42:2).
Of course, God hadn’t really left David, and he doesn’t leave you. He has promised repeatedly, I will never leave you not forsake you (Deut. 31:8). But God has not promised you will always feel my presence. In fact, God admits that sometimes he hides his face from us (Isaiah 45:15). There are times when he appears to be MIA, missing-in-action, in your life. You go thru spiritual exercises… you have your friends pray for you…you confess every sin you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast… still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days? Months? Will it ever end? This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. It’s painful but it’s absolutely vital for the development of your faith.
When God seems distant you may feel that he is angry with you or is disciplining you for some sin. In fact, sin does disconnect us from intimate fellowship with him by disobedience… (James 4:4; Psalm 51). This is a test of faith—one we all must face: will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his in your life? When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers---so you’ll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.
TELL GOD EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL …did you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith? Trusting God but feeling despair at the same time, David wrote, I believe, so I said, I am completely ruined (Psalm 116:10). FOCUS ON WHO GOD IS—HIS UNCHANGING NATURE …when Job’s life fell apart, and God was silent, Job still found things he could praise God for:- That he is good and loving (Job 10:12)
- That he is all-powerful (Job 42:2)
- That he notices every detail of my life (Job 23:10)
- That he is in control (Job 34:13)
- That he has a plan for my life (Job 23:14)
- That he will save me (Job 19:28)
TRUST GOD TO KEEP HIS PROMISES …I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread (Job 23:12). REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE FOR YOU Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.The Lord has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him –Isaiah 8:17
For God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you –Hebrews 13:5
-PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE
