When God Feels Far Away

When God Feels Far Away

Scripture References

Primary text

• Jeremiah 29:13
• Acts 17

Other references

• Psalm 88:13-14
• John 6:30
• Matthew 13

Overview

Not feeling God does not mean He is absent. We often measure His nearness by tingles, tears, or moments of peace, yet Scripture and experience show that faith is anchored in truth, not feelings. Craig Groeschel walks through three biblical possibilities for why God may seem distant and reminds us that when we seek Him, He always draws near.

Context

The message began with a poll: “Did you feel God during worship today?” From that question arose the bigger issue—what if we didn’t feel anything? A 16-year-old named Megan, grieving her father’s death, embodied this struggle: she attended church faithfully yet felt numb in worship, prayer, and Bible reading.

Main Points

1. Over-sensationalizing His Presence

• We sometimes demand a dramatic sign before we’ll believe God is with us (John 6:30).
• Story: As a teen Craig laid two sticks in a field and asked God to move one—“Just shake a twig and I’ll serve You forever.” Nothing happened.
• Communion, a men’s retreat, and even his ordination produced no felt awe; feelings alone are unreliable gauges.
• “If you always felt God, you wouldn’t need faith.”

2. A Hardened or Calloused Heart

• Jesus warned of people who “ever hear but never understand” because their hearts have become callous (Matthew 13).
• Ongoing, unconfessed sin layers insulation around the soul the way thick clothes block out cold.
  • Examples: jealousy, unforgiveness, habitual lust, being entertained by constant filth.
• Religious activity can also harden the heart when performance replaces devotion.

3. God May Be Drawing You Closer

• God positions our lives “so that [we] would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him” (Acts 17).
• Deprivation creates desire: hunger, thirst—and spiritual longing when His nearness is not felt.
• He loves to be pursued; His promise stands: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
• Illustration: Craig pointed to sunrises, Bible-app verses, timely texts from friends, or a song that speaks directly to the heart as everyday places where God shows up.

Story: Megan, the “Stubborn Little Angel”

• After hearing her pain, Craig called her “stubborn in a good way.”
• The phrase echoed her late father’s nickname for her, becoming a tender sign of God’s personal nearness in that very conversation.

Key Truths

• Feelings are not the sole evidence of God’s presence.
• Unaddressed sin can dull our spiritual sensitivity.
• God intentionally allows seasons of dryness to awaken deeper pursuit of Him.
• Seeking is always rewarded; He is “God with us,” never abandoning His children.
• Ordinary moments can be infused with extraordinary presence for the believer who looks for Him.

Response

• Stop chasing dramatic signs; trust what God has already revealed in Christ.
• Examine your life for unconfessed sin and repent quickly.
• Engage Scripture, prayer, and worship even when emotions lag.
• Notice and thank God for small reminders of His nearness throughout your day.
• Pursue Him with wholehearted, persistent devotion, confident He will be found.

Closing

Jesus’ birth fulfilled the name Emmanuel—God with us. Whether on a mountaintop of emotion or in the flat landscape of routine, He never leaves or forsakes His own. Groeschel urged the church to step toward God, believing He will take a giant step toward us.

“Just because God feels distant doesn’t mean God is absent.”

Prayer

The congregation prayed, asking God to reveal Himself more intimately, to forgive sins, to fill them with His Spirit, and to make them aware of His presence in both the spectacular and the simple.