Welcome to Waymaker Church! We are so excited to have you join us today! We exist to Encounter, Live for, and Advance the Kingdom of God!

This morning, as we continue in our series “Let’s Talk About It” we are going to be looking at a question that I believe will resonate with many. Why does God feel absent at times in our pursuit of Him?

If you have ever felt like this, I want you to know that you are not alone. Throughout the bible and in this room, there are many stories of people who have had moments or seasons where they felt God was absent. As we begin, I believe it is important to distinguish between the feeling of God's distance and the fact of God's presence.

Feelings: I have had times in my life when I felt like God was far from me due to the circumstances or challenges, I was facing. It happened early in my walk as I was learning to hear His voice. It has happened in times of uncertainty in making major decisions, moments of battling sin and fighting to defeat strongholds. I have had seasons when my soul was weary, and it felt like I was all alone. I know that I could hand a microphone to many people in this room, and they could also recount their own stories or moments when they felt like God was absent or silent.

To appropriately answer this question today, we need to know a few things about feelings.

Feelings:
1. Feelings are real but not always reliable.
• Emotions are real experiences. They reveal what is happening inside us, but they don’t always tell the truth about reality.
• Feelings can change quickly, and they often reflect our perspective, not necessarily God’s perspective.
• It is ok to acknowledge our feelings, but we must be mindful as believers not to allow them to define our faith or identity.
• Jeremiah 17:9 ““The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

2. Feelings follow focus.
• What you focus on shapes what you feel. For example, if you dwell on disappointment or fear it will amplify those emotions, while focusing on God’s truth brings peace.
• Many types of seasons will come your way in life. Seasons of victory, defeat, plenty, lack, trials and testing, blessing and peace.
• The key is that you can’t control what you feel in these seasons as you experience them, but you can control what you feed.
• Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”

3. Feelings are indicators, not instructors.
• Emotions signal that something inside you needs attention. Think of them like warning lights on a dashboard, but they shouldn’t drive your decisions.
• For example, feeling afraid may reveal a need for security. Feelings lonely may reveal a longing for connection.
• Your emotions will indicate, but we must make the decision to let the truth lead.
• Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

The simple reality of feelings is that we can’t be ruled by them. Although real and felt, they can distort the truth.

How then do we navigate feelings and a life of faith?

Facts: As always, we must begin with the word of God because it is what God says that is true, not how we feel.

This Psalm begins with a statement of truth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Look at the context following the statement of truth.
Though the earth be removed, and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea. Though the waters roar and be troubled. Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

These things are speaking of great upheaval. Without question these would cause our emotions to be moved. Things like uncertainty, fear, or doubt about the outcome.

It is followed again by a statement of truth. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

Reality of what is taking place within this context: The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

The statement of truth: The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Key Principle: Be still and know that He is God.

The word “still” in verse 10 is the Hebrew word (rapa) meaning to slacken, let down, or cease. The command to be still means to stop frantic activity and redirect our focus back to the Lord.

In times of uncertainty and the feeling of God’s absence we must simply learn to redirect our focus back to the Lord through the word. Our personal context may be turmoil, distance, or uncertainties, but the truth is that He is near to us.

In John 14:18 and Hebrews 13:5 Jesus says, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” and “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We must learn to stand on these truths by faith even if our feelings don’t line up. If we will get our eyes on Jesus and declare His word by faith over our lives we can eventually through faith change the way we feel.

Practical Consideration about perceived distance: Is my attention is divided? Feelings of distance can arise from personal factors, such as busyness, distraction, or relying on worldly things for fulfillment instead of on God.

The Key Principle: Our perception of closeness can ebb and flow, but God’s actual presence does not change.

As we close, I want to look at one final area, “Wilderness Seasons”.

A wilderness season with God is a period of spiritual difficulty where an individual feels God is silent or distant, marked by challenges, waiting, and a lack of His manifest presence.

Characteristics of a wilderness season:
• Feeling of absence: A perceived lack of God's tangible presence, even though God is understood to be omnipresent.
• Difficulty: A time of suffering, isolation, and testing, where promises may seem distant and it feels like things are not going right.
• Waiting: A period of spiritual "winter" where growth is not obvious, but is happening in unseen ways, like roots taking hold.
• Preparation: A time for purification, healing, and stripping away false beliefs or identities to prepare for future promises.

Key Observations about Wilderness Seasons:
They are a spiritual training ground. Though marked by hardship, God uses them as a tool for shaping and strengthening our faith and bring us to maturity.

James 1:2–4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

In the wilderness, there is warfare. Not simply emotional but spiritual. There, the enemy attacks through doubt and discouragement, especially to get us to question God’s goodness and love.
The central spiritual conflict: “Will I still love and worship God when life hurts?”

Four Key Weapons in the Wilderness. The word, worship, prayer, and serving.

The Word: Remember that the word is powerful, and the source of your faith. In the wilderness, read it, pray it, and declare it with authority, regardless of how you feel.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Worship is a Weapon. Worship is both a choice and a form of warfare. Choosing praise in pain defeats despair and drives away the enemy. This type of worship is what we would call a sacrifice of praise because it is expressed through tears and perseverance.

Hebrews 13:15 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

Prayer: Prayer sets our focus on who God is and what He can do. Praying the word of God releases faith by bringing us into spiritual alignment with what God has already declared. What God has declared is filled with power and anointing.

Philippians 4:6–8 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Serve: When our feelings lead us to self-pity, we must learn to serve others. Turning outward in love reinforces faith and purpose. It also positions us for encouragement because we are in proximity to people who can speak life into us and encourage us.
Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Serving helps to transform hardship into a spiritual discipline that blesses both the giver and the receiver. Above all, remember this:

The wilderness or a sense of God’s absence is not abandonment—it’s refinement. If we will choose to worship through silence and suffering, we will see transformation that leads us into a place of victory and greater intimacy with God.