Ps.77v7-9: Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favourable no more? Has his mercy ceased forever? Has his promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

You are welcome back to our discussion on when God seems distant. I am sure you have been blessed by the things I have shared with you so far. As you can see from our text scripture in (Ps.77v7-9), at times we do have the feeling of God being quiet, or nothing seems to be happening from what we can see. This is why God is bringing this message to you today. I believe you will find strength and succour from it in Jesus name, amen.

My dear reader, today, I will be focusing on why it looks like God is not there with you or has forgotten you. Why do we have this feeling or notion? I want you to know that there is no smoke without fire! (Pro.26v2)

REASONS WHY GOD SEEMS DISTANT

1. Because you are walking in the flesh and not the spirit. Yes, we get the feeling of God not being there with or for us when we concentrate more on walking by what we can see, hear, feel, taste or smell instead of walking in the spirit. Walking in the spirit requires you to walk by faith and not by your senses. This is what happened to Hannah before shifting into the spirit realm later on (1Sam.1v1-17). When we focus more on the flesh, we often don’t see what God is doing, so it’s time to make a U-turn in your life. It’s time to shift from the flesh into the Spirit (Gal.5v16-18).
2. Because you have forsaken God. Dearly beloved, when we go our own way or leave God, that’s when it looks like God has left us (Jam.4v8). The choice of being close or far away from God is in your hands, and our choices carry great consequences. So if you choose to be far from God, he will automatically be far from you too. Samson forsook God by consistently breaking the covenant he had with God and that ultimately made him vulnerable to the enemy of his soul. So my admonition to you today is never to forsake or abandon the Lord thy maker and Saviour for your life ultimately depends on this (Jug.13v24-25: 16v20).
3. Because you are short of memory as human beings. Of all our memories, gratitude is the shortest. What do I mean by this? It simply means that we are prone or quick to forgetting God’s works and wonders in our lives. A good example is the children of Israel, as stated in (Ps.78v11). Because of this great weakness of men, that is why it looks to many that God has not done anything for them or that God seems slow or quiet on their matter. But if you can only stop, pause and think, you will be able to see the numerous things that God has done. So I advise you to shift gear from today. Choose to be grateful instead of grumbling. Choose gratitude over complaining, and you will be in a better position to see what the Lord has done for you. So it’s time to rise up to this challenge. My dear reader, it’s a new day for you from today as you embrace the truths in Jesus name, amen.

Other Scriptural References: (Ps.106v13: 73v27; Lam.3v40; Jer.2v13; 1Jn.1v9; Rev.2v5; Eccle.7v8; Pro.19v2; Rom.8v1-2; Gen.30v1-22).

Prayer for Today: Thank you, father, for your never-failing promise not to leave or forsake me. I believe and receive this promise in totality in Jesus name, amen.

CONFESSION: Thank you, father, for your reassuring presence. Thank you for your unfailing love and mercies. I believe in your promise to never leave nor forsake me. I choose you walk by faith and not by spirit. I choose to walk by the word and not by my feelings. I bring my feelings under subjection to your word. Regardless of how I feel or my senses, I am fully persuaded of your love and promises for me. Therefore. I will stand and not fall in Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Yemi Adeoti

Yemi Adeoti is a pastor, teacher, life coach and mentor & also a prolific writer.