When God seems distant.

God is real, no matter how you feel.

It is 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.

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and lvoing him when he seems distant.

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 God. We grieve God's Spirit and quench our feelowship with him by disobedience, conflict with others, busyness, friendship with the world and other sins.

But often this feeling of abandonment or estrangement from God has nothing to do with sin. It is a test of faith--one we all must face: Will you continue to love, truist, obey, and worship God even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life?

Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that your feeling. Did you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith?

Focus on who God is=his unchanging nature. Regardless of circumstances and how you feel, han on to God's unchanging character. Remind yourself what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves me, he is with me, he knows what I'm going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for my life.

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
*That he is all powerful
*That he notices every detail of my life
*That he is in control
*That he has a plan for my life
*That he will save me.

Trust God to keep his promises. During times of spiritual dryness you must patiently rely on the promises of God, not your emotions, and realize that he is taking you to a deeper level of maturity. A friendship based on emtion is shallow indeed.

Remember what God has already done for you. If God never did anythingelse for you , he would still deserve your continual praise for the rest of your life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God's son dided for you! This is the greatest reason for worship.

Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alonei s worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.

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Point to ponder: God is real, no matter how I fee.

Guestion to consider: How can I stay focused on God's presence, expecially when he feels distant?

Scripture to remember:"For God has said," I will never leave you; I will never abandon you."" Hebrews 13:5