The Distance Between God And You

The Distance Between God And You | Sermon by Augustine Ampratwum-Duah

The reasons we feel distant from God are myriad. Some of it is cultural. The lives many of us choose to live have very little space for God. We are booked solid. Our pace is frantic.

And when we have those little snippets of downtime that could be spent snatching moments of communion with God, we’re face down in a smartphone playing a game, browsing SB Nation or Reddit, or catching up on Instagram or Twitter.

Much of why we feel distant from God is spiritual. Scripture makes it clear that all of us are born with a sin nature (Rom. 3:23). We are naturally inclined to seek “self” and not God.

Often we don’t seek God because we won’t seek God. The words of my favorite hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” come to mind:
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, / Prone to leave the God I love.”
For whatever reason, many of us will go through times in our lives when God simply feels far away. We don’t sense His presence.

He doesn’t feel near. We see the way other people talk about their faith, and it seems as if they are describing an entirely separate journey than the one we’re on. If this describes an experience you’re familiar with, let me speak some encouragement to you for a moment.

Here is a foundational truth, a life-changing statement: God is always near. He is never not near.

God’s nearness to you is intertwined with His very character. His presence in the lives of His children is a theological fact.

God is not distant. If you have been born again through a saving faith in Jesus Christ, God is literally with you, within you, every moment of your life (Rom. 8:8-11).

It is impossible for God to be any nearer to you.
And yet, there are periods in our lives when God indeed does feel distant. What do we make of this?

The unfortunate truth is that when God feels distant from us, the root of the problem is not with God, but with us.

If God feels far away, we must look within ourselves for what is causing the distance. I share this with you to encourage you, knowing that on the outset it may feel like anything but an encouragement.

And yet, be encouraged. God is not far from you. He is never far from you. If this is true, it means that it is possible to feel close to Him again. There is great hope here.

There is a wonderful promise in the New Testament, one I have clung to at times throughout my life. It is the foundational premise behind the writing of this little book. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Maybe you need to read that again.

Read it 100 times if you need to. Do whatever you need to do in order for this powerful truth to take hold of your heart and mind. God is near. He is never not near. If you draw near to Him, He will reward your steps of faith, and He will remind you of His nearness.

If you feel far from God and take action to feel closer to Him, God’s very Word promises us that you will feel God’s nearness once again. Surely there are more comforting promises in Scripture, but there have been times in my life when this promise has sustained me like few others.

Maybe this truth is a life preserver tossed to you in the midst of a stormy sea. However, there remains a question. We know that God will honor our efforts to draw closer to Him, but what does drawing closer to Him look like? How do we do it?