I think at some point in our faith, all of us have said something along the lines of "I'm just not feeling it." Maybe you said this to your youth pastor as an excuse for not coming to church, or maybe you said this to your friend when they asked why you've been more involved with the things of this world than with your church and youth group. I know there have been points in my faith where I have felt far from God, so I blame it on my feelings and carry on with my day without a second thought. Well I'm here to tell you that when you're not feeling it, it's not because God's moving: you are.
As I was reading through all of the Psalms, a common theme stuck out to me that I couldn't shake in David (or the Psalm writer's) writing. David continually based the Lord's willingness to bless people by their faith/courage in the Lord. Here are some verses that showcase that:
Psalm 97:11 - Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right.
Psalm 91:14 - The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name."
Now, this is not to say that people's faithfulness limits God's ability to bless them because as we know God has the power to bless whomever He pleases whenever He pleases. What I am saying is that God is selective in His blessings, because He cannot justly bless people who blatantly go against His will and don't love what He says about how to live. In summary, when you are not feeling it, it is not a lack of God's presence that you are feeling: it is actually a lack of your godliness and faithfulness.
Okay, let me explain this further. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2 and Romans 6:23). So if we keep on sinning, we are going to feel separate from God. Proverbs 15:29 says "the Lord is far from the wicked." Are you not feeling God near to you right now because you are living in wicked ways? Oftentimes it is so hard for us to connect that the more we continue to stray away from God, the more chaotic and hurtful our lives become. Though it may be fun in the moment to continue living in the ways of this world, all the world offers is temporary pleasure for an eternal heart hole. And once we make one choice to disobey the boundaries God has set before us, it becomes that much easier for Satan to chain us to that choice and to make us continue along this path of destruction (Matthew 7:13).
Romans 6:16 - Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?
All of us are going to be a slave to something. And we cannot be slaves to Christ if we choose to obey Satan's temptations over God's provisions. Let me say that again. We cannot be slaves to Christ if we choose to obey Satan's temptations over God's provisions. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!" If we really are supposed to be new creations like Paul suggests, then how can we claim we are in Christ if we are still living like we are the old creation? The truth is, if we are living as the old creation, then we are probably feeling far from God because He is no longer the cornerstone and foothold of our lives.
But there is hope. God does not tell us the truth so that we can wallow in the guilt and shame of our sin (John 3:17 and Proverbs 14:9). The first step to removing the sin from our lives in order to start "feeling" God again is to bring our sin to the light. "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." John 3:20. If we want to stop doing evil, we need to come out of the darkness that we think is covering our sins (Fun fact: God already knows everything you have done and will do even if you don't tell Him) and into the light that washed over our sins with the blood of Jesus. Jesus came to save the world, so let Him save you. Let Him take you away from the sin that is weighing you down so that you can have a new life in Him with eternal satisfaction; not temporary pleasure.
So if you're not "feeling it," that is not a testament to God's character or goodness; that is the perfect opportunity to do a heart check and a life evaluation. Everyone messes up and we are not condemned by that fact when we are saved, but our actions are also not excused by that fact when we are saved. In conclusion, choose to run to God even when you aren't feeling it, because He will give rest to those who believe (Hebrews 4:3).
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