Choosing to Believe: Trusting God’s Presence When He Feels Distant
“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”
— Oswald Chambers
I remember a season in my life when I could not feel God’s presence, no matter how hard I searched for Him. It wasn’t that I had walked away from faith or stopped believing. I still went through the motions — praying, reading Scripture, leading worship — but it all felt empty. I would listen to songs about God’s nearness, read incredible devotionals, and wonder why He felt so far away. Every day, I whispered into the silence: God, where are You? The heavens seemed closed. (And if Colorado really is closer to Heaven, it didn’t help.) No whisper. No assurance. Just silence.
There are seasons in our lives when God feels near — when His presence is unmistakable, His blessings visible, and His voice clear. But then there are the other times. The times when we pray and hear nothing. When we seek Him and come up empty. When our once-vibrant faith seems to meet nothing but an empty sky.
If you’ve ever found yourself here, wondering if God is still near, if He still sees you — you are not alone. The great men and women of faith throughout history, and the man writing this to you now, have walked this path before. Scripture is filled with cries of lament from those who struggled to see God in their daily lives. And yet, over and over again, we are called to trust — not in what we can see, but in who He is.
The Theology of Trust
Christian faith has never been about feeling alone; it has always been about trusting in the unseen. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (Christian Standard Bible)
Faith, at its core, is not built on our ability to perceive God but on His unchanging nature. The psalmist David, a man after God’s own heart, often felt abandoned. In Psalm 13, he cries out: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1, CSB)
And yet, by the end of that same psalm, David makes a choice — to believe:“But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.” (Psalm 13:5, CSB)
This shift from lament to trust is the pattern of faith. It does not deny the reality of suffering, confusion, or doubt, but it chooses to root itself in the greater reality of God’s character.
Jesus Knows This Feeling
One of the greatest assurances we have is that Jesus Himself understands what it feels like to experience God’s seeming absence. On the cross, He cried out the words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46, CSB)
If the Son of God Himself felt this weight, then surely we are not alone in our struggle. And yet, even in His agony, Jesus committed Himself into the Father’s hands. He knew the silence of Good Friday would give way to the victory of Resurrection Sunday.
Assurance in the Waiting
If you are in a season where God feels distant, know this: His silence is not His absence. His hiddenness is not His abandonment. “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:25, CSB)
Waiting is not wasted time. In the dark soil of our uncertainty, God is still at work. He is shaping us, refining our faith, and drawing us closer — even when we cannot yet perceive it.
How Do We Hold On?
- Immerse Yourself in Scripture — Let His Word anchor you when your feelings waver. Read the Psalms, the prophets, and the stories of those who waited on God.
- Practice Prayer and Silence — Even when words fail, sitting in God’s presence — however quiet it may feel — keeps us connected.
- Remember Past Faithfulness — Look back at the ways God has worked in your life before. If He was faithful then, He will be faithful now.
If you find yourself struggling to see God in the day-to-day, hold on. Your feelings do not determine His presence. He is near, He is faithful, and He has not forgotten you. “I will never leave you or abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5, CSB)
I say these words to myself as I type them: He is near, He is faithful, and He has not forgotten you. Even when you cannot see Him, He sees you.
In The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann writes: “Hope is the decision to which God invites Israel, a decision against despair, against permanent consignment to chaos (Isa 45:18), oppression, barrenness, and exile.” Today, I pray you will hear God inviting you into this same place. I pray that we will be a people surprised by God — where we expect Him to act according to our rules, our plans, our timetables, may we trust that He moves in ways we do not expect, bringing life where we saw only death, and hope where we saw only despair.
And may we choose to believe, even when we cannot see His hand.
