THE DISTANCE THAT ISN’T REAL
There are moments when you pray and heaven feels closed.
When worship turns into routine, and your heart no longer feels what your mouth declares.
You kneel to speak, but it feels like no one’s listening.
You open your Bible, but the words lie flat on the page.
It’s not that you’ve stopped believing; it’s that you can’t feel Him anymore.
But what if this distance isn’t rejection?
What if it’s direction — God guiding you from emotion to revelation?
A season meant to shift you from feeling His presence to trusting His promise.
PART I: WHEN HE FEELS SILENT
Feeling far from God isn’t just spiritual. It’s emotional and psychological too.
Our minds are wired to associate comfort with connection.
When we feel peace, we assume God is near.
When we feel confusion, we assume He’s gone.
But faith isn’t built on feelings.
God’s presence doesn’t vanish with emotion.
Even Jesus once cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
(Matthew 27:46).
Yet the Father never left. The silence was sacred — it was the sound of salvation unfolding.
In the Old Testament, Job sat in silence for days, surrounded by confusion and pain.
He felt abandoned, yet God was closer than ever, watching faith stand where feelings fell.
David too, in Psalm 13, cried, “How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever?”
But moments later, he said, “I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.”
His heart learned that silence doesn’t mean absence.
Sometimes, God hides to test what your heart does when He feels invisible.
Will you still believe, or will you retreat?
He wants you to trust the unseen more than the visible.
PART II: THE TEST OF TRUST
When you feel far from God, you’re not being punished — you’re being prepared.
Faith that only stands in good seasons isn’t faith; it’s comfort.
Real faith lives through quiet valleys.
Abraham waited years before seeing God’s promise.
Joseph sat forgotten in prison even after doing everything right.
Mary and Martha wept when Jesus delayed coming to heal Lazarus.
In each story, God’s silence wasn’t neglect — it was timing.
The same God who was quiet was also working behind the curtain.
Like a teacher watching a student take the test, He steps back not to disappear,
but to see if you’ve learned to trust what He already taught.
When God seems silent, remember — His quiet doesn’t mean He stopped speaking.
It means He wants you to listen differently.
Maybe He’s teaching you endurance.
Maybe He’s rebuilding your prayer life.
Maybe He’s proving that your relationship isn’t just built on emotion but on faith.
PART III: FINDING GOD AGAIN
The best way back to God isn’t through louder prayers. It’s through honest ones.
You don’t have to sound holy; you just have to be real.
Tell Him, “Lord, I can’t feel You, but I know You’re here.”
That’s faith in its rawest form.
Open your Bible again, even when it feels dry.
Pray again, even when your heart is tired.
Worship again, even when your voice shakes.
Because the truth is, He never left.
Elijah once hid in a cave, exhausted and afraid.
He expected God in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire.
But God came in a gentle whisper — not dramatic, just present.
(1 Kings 19:11-12).
That whisper still speaks today. It’s calm. It’s steady. It’s near.
Silence doesn’t mean distance. It means depth.
It’s God saying, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).
He’s teaching you to sense Him in peace, not panic.
To trust that even when your emotions can’t feel Him, your spirit still belongs to Him.
You’re not far from God.
You’re simply in a season where faith grows beyond feelings.
He’s not silent to punish you.
He’s silent to strengthen you.
And when you finally realize that,
you’ll find that He was never gone.
He was right there in the quiet,
waiting for you to listen differently.
Ogunbiyi Jesutomisin
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