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Feeling Lost or Far from God

"From one man he made every nation of men … God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'"¹

A Daily Encounter reader writes, "I am feeling lost before God and fear that I will never get to heaven and am on my way to hell. Please can you help me?"

Dear Janet (name changed), feeling lost in relationship to God and feeling far from him is something many people experience, so you are not alone in your struggle. This can be caused by various things such as the following:

First, it can be because we are depending on our feelings rather than trusting in what God's Word says. So be sure to read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian at http://tinyurl.com/8glq9. If you prayed the prayer to receive Jesus as your Savior and truly meant it, God has forgiven all your sins and has guaranteed that you have the gift of eternal life in Heaven with God forever. You need to believe God's Word and what he says regardless of your feelings. We are saved by faith in God and not by our feelings.

Second, feeling lost or far from God can be caused by guilt … that is, if we are acting in ways that we know are sinful and wrong. This causes a barrier to come between us and God. If this is the case, you need to confess your sins to God, ask for his forgiveness, and change your ways.

Third, another major reason for feeling lost and/or feeling far from God is because of impaired relationships which can go back all the way from yesterday to early childhood. If you have any unresolved issues with any significant person in your life, ask God to help you to resolve this if at all possible. If this isn't possible, you need to resolve any repressed negative feelings in you (such as hurt and/or anger) regarding this relationship so you can freely forgive the person (or persons) whom you feel have hurt you. These supercharged negative feelings not only build a barrier between ourselves and loved ones, but also between ourselves and God. For further help be sure to read the article, "Forgiveness: The Power to Heal" at http://tinyurl.com/dvwh5. You may also need the help of a well trained counselor to help you resolve repressed negative emotions.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you are close to me regardless of how I feel. Please reveal to me the cause (or causes) of my feelings when I am feeling lost or when it seems that you are far away. With your help I choose to trust in you no matter what, and please help my feelings to catch up with my choice. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Acts 17:26-28 (NIV).

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