When God Feels Far Away, Remember
What You Already Know Can Help You Keep Going
There are times when God feels close.
You pray and feel peace.
You read something in the scriptures and it feels like it was meant for you.
You receive an answer.
You feel the Spirit.
You look at something that happened and think, God was in that.
And then there are other times when you pray and feel almost nothing.
You ask for help and the answer does not seem to come.
You are trying to do what is right, but life still feels confusing.
You remember what faith used to feel like, but right now it feels distant.
Psalm 77 sounds like it was written from one of those moments.
The psalmist cries unto God.
He says he is troubled.
He cannot sleep.
He begins asking questions:
“Will the Lord cast off for ever?”
“Is his mercy clean gone for ever?”
“Hath God forgotten to be gracious?”
Those are honest questions.
And the fact that they are in scripture matters.
It means faith does not require you to pretend you are never confused.
You can have questions and still reach for God.
You can feel discouraged and still pray.
You can wonder where He is and still choose to trust Him.
Then something changes in the psalm.
Not necessarily the problem.
Not necessarily the circumstances.
The psalmist changes what he focuses on.
He says:
“I will remember.”
Then again:
“I will remember the works of the Lord.”
Instead of only looking at what God seemed to be doing—or not doing—right now, he began thinking about what God had already done.
That is an important spiritual skill.
There may be times when your current circumstances make it hard to see God clearly.
In those moments, you may need to borrow strength from what you already know.
Maybe you remember a prayer that was answered before.
Maybe you remember a blessing that brought peace.
Maybe you remember something you felt at FSY, youth conference, girls camp, seminary, the temple, or during a quiet prayer.
Maybe you remember a time when God helped you through something you once thought you could not handle.
Maybe you remember a scripture that became personal to you.
Maybe you simply remember what you know about Jesus Christ.
That He loves you.
That He suffered for you.
That He understands you.
That He keeps His promises.
That He rose from the dead.
That He can forgive you.
That He will not stop being good simply because life is hard.
Sometimes faith looks like saying:
I do not understand what God is doing right now, but I remember enough about Him to keep trusting Him.
Remembering does not mean pretending everything is okay.
It does not mean unanswered prayers do not hurt.
It does not mean every difficult situation will suddenly turn out the way you hoped.
It means one hard chapter does not get to erase everything God has already taught you.
That is one reason it can be so helpful to record spiritual experiences.
Write down answers to prayer.
Write down impressions.
Write down moments when you felt peace.
Write down what you know while you know it.
Because there may come a day when you do not feel as certain as you did then.
And on that day, the version of you who remembered may be able to strengthen the version of you who is struggling.
Psalm 78 says that remembering the works of God helps us “set [our] hope in God.”
Remembering the past is not about living in the past.
It is about finding enough evidence from the past to help you keep moving forward.
Scripture
“Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? …
“Hath God forgotten to be gracious? …
“But I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
“I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”
—Psalm 77:7, 9–11
Reflection
What spiritual experience, answer to prayer, or truth about Jesus Christ do you never want to forget?
What could you remember when God feels distant or life does not make sense?
Today’s Challenge
Write down one thing God has already done for you.
It might be an answer to prayer, a spiritual impression, a blessing, a moment of peace, or simply a truth about Jesus Christ that you know.
Keep it somewhere you can find it again.
Then, when a difficult moment comes, remind yourself:
I may not see what God is doing right now, but I have not forgotten what He has already done.
Christ-Centered Thought
Your feelings may change.
Your circumstances may change.
Some prayers may take longer to answer than you hoped.
But Jesus Christ does not change.
His Atonement is still real.
His Resurrection still happened.
His promises are still true.
His love for you is still there.
When you cannot see very far ahead, remember what you already know about Him.
Sometimes that memory is enough light to take the next faithful step.
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