What’s Up With Me?

I. was saddened this past week when I heard about someone who had been a strong Christian all their life but didn’t feel God for the past few months and now wasn’t sure about God or their faith anymore. Now, I want to clarify. Doubt is a normal part of faith, and everyone goes through cycles of doubt. What made me sad was the equation “I don’t feel God = I’m not so sure God exists.â€

God doesn’t disappear when you don’t feel Him. Can you imagine having a God so small and fragile that He poofed out of existence every time we didn’t feel a strong emotional connection to Him? The Israelites went through roughly four hundred years of not hearing much from God. He had promised His Messiah, and generations passed before that promise was fulfilled. Yet, people still had the discipline to continue believing.

One Christian virtue I believe is underrated is discipline. It takes discipline to meet with fellow Christians and to praise God when you don’t feel close to Him. Jesus gave us a great example of discipline when He was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan tempted Jesus to make bread from stones, which would’ve meant abandoning His reliance on God. Jesus in turn recalled when God the Father provided for the Israelites in the desert (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

Like Jesus, we, too, can exercise discipline because He gave us His Spirit (2 Timothy 1:7). We can call to mind times when God did come through for us and thank Him. These memories can help carry us through times when we don’t feel close to God. And when we don’t want to connect with fellow Christians because we’re unsure about our faith, it’s all the more important that we do, so we can hear how God is working in their lives. If you’re uncertain about God right now, look to the past. See how God has come through for you and answered your prayers. And keep looking to the future, trusting that God delivers on His promises. • Naomi Vroegop

• How close do you feel to God right now? Does that affect your belief in Him?

• When has God answered a prayer or come through on a promise for you?

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. Colossians 3:16 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Psalm 27:10; John 15:12-21; 1 John 4:7-12