WHEN GOD SEEMS FAR
AWAY
Job 23:8-12
Introduction: It is easy to worship God and to sing His praises
when everything in your life is going well. When you sense the presence and
closeness of God in your life, is when you are most likely to remain steadfast in
your faith. However, on those days when it seem like
God is miles away from you and nowhere to be found, how easy is it for you to
worship God and sing His praises then? As with any relationship, there will be
times of closeness and times of distance. Such puts a relationship to the test
(Cheaper By the dozen).
A.
What are we
to do when God seems far away and we start to think He has abandoned us?
B.
We will look
at cases of people in the Bible who could not sense God’s presence and yet
exemplified how we should react when we are overcome with such feelings of
abandonment
I.
When God seem
far away
A.
David (the
apple of God’s eye Psa. 17:8; a man
after God’s heart Acts
B.
God may have
had no greater friend in the Bible, yet notice how David felt at times
1.
Psalm 10:1
2.
Psalm 22:1
3.
Psalm 43:2,
44:23
4.
Psalm 88:14
5.
Psalm 89:49
C.
God never
really left David (Heb. 13:5; Psa. 37:25, 28)
1.
God never
promised that you will always FEEL His presence
2.
Yet you feel
all alone and wonder what is wrong with you
3.
God doesn’t
leave you, He wants to see what you will do
a.
Will you
remain faithful and true
b.
Will you
trust Him (Ray Charles’ mother when he was a little boy)
D.
The reason
God appears to be far away to many of is because we are seeking an experience
or feeling rather than seeking God
1.
I have not
worshipped because I did not feel God
2.
God’s
presence is too profound to be measured by mere feeling; we have to truth that
He is there; it is our faith that pleases God, not our feelings.
II.
When God
seemed far away for Job
A.
The moments
that will test you faith the most are those when it seems that things are
falling apart and it appears that God is nowhere to be found
B.
Who better
exemplifies this than Job?
1.
He lost his wealth, his family, and then his health
2.
Through out
it all, for 37 chapters God was silent
C.
Someone once
asked, “How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in
your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without
communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they are full of tears?
1.
You do what
Job did (Job
2.
But you know
what we do instead (stay home, wallow, feel sorry for ourselves – worship and
praise is the furthest thing from our minds)
III.
What we need
to do
A.
We need to
let God know how we feel (Job.
B.
We need to
keep focus on the unchanging nature of God
1.
He is good,
He cares, He knows what I am going through, He has a plan for my life
2.
V. Raymond Edmand said, “Never doubt in the dark what God told you in
the light
3.
This is what
Job did
a.
God is good (
b.
God knows
every detail of his life (
c.
God has a
plan for him (
d.
God will save
him (
C.
Trust God to
do what He says
1.
Don’t be
troubled by trouble
2.
What ever
changes you are going through remember that God never changes; even when you
don’t feel it, God is still there for you
3.
Job held onto
God’s word even when things seemed hopeless (Job.
Conclusion: Yes we may feel God is at a distance sometimes,
but it is no reason to stop praising, worshiping and trusting in God. One
Friday afternoon, on a hill called