How Often Do You “Feel God?”
Ryan O'Neill
After over a decade of ministry, I’ve had countless discussions with individuals about how they’re having a hard time feeling God. I’ve been there! It’s difficult being in a valley. So what do we do about it? One of the biggest things in my life that has held me back from feeling God is basing my well-being on what is going on around me. Are things going great? Your relationship with God is great! Are things going poorly? God seems distant.
There’s someone we know about in the bible who has plenty of experience in not letting his circumstances affect his relationship with the Lord, and his name (of course) is Paul. In Philippians, we see Paul in prison as a result of preaching the gospel and releasing a demon. Pretty bad deal! Does he let it get him down? Nope. He praises! We see Paul being content despite what he was going through or where he was. You could actually say that prison was helping him, because he knew that satisfaction and contentment is found in simple dependence on Christ. Suffering or hardship tends to tell us what we actually need. Suffering draws our sufficiency to Christ. Paul says:
“How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.” - Philippians 4:10-14
You see, contentment is a key attribute in experiencing God’s presence. What hinders us from this contentment is ourselves. The human heart has always fallen into this trap, being taken away from presence and focus on Christ because of things around us. We see examples of it all throughout the Bible:
Adam and Eve became discontent in the garden. They had everything, but they wanted the fruit from the only tree in the garden God said “No” to.
The Israelites became discontent in the wilderness after God miraculously saved them from Egypt. They complained and grumbled, and even built idol gods to worship instead of Yahweh.
David was discontent when he wanted Bathsheba. So he took her as his own and had her husband killed in the process.
The disciples were in the very presence of Jesus, but they wanted to know which one of them was the greatest.
Time after time, a discontent heart has led God’s people astray. It’s a new time, a new context, but the human heart remains the same. If you ask yourself: Why don’t I feel God? I would ask: Where is your heart? What is the nature of your heart? What are you struggling with? Are you inviting God and others in or are you doing it alone trying to figure it out and hope for the best?
Ask yourself: Is my heart in the right place? No? Prepare to be led astray. Prepare to not feel God.
Luckily, Paul being the insightful guy he is gives us the secret to being content! He says: “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation.” - Philippians 4:12
So what's Paul’s secret? Satisfaction in Christ as a foundation. Infused with his heart. A lasting indwelling, not just for a moment. Contentment is a state of satisfaction, and how can we be in a state of satisfaction? We mitigate our desires. Contentment comes from desire.
Galatians 5:17 - “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”
If you don’t feel God, are you desiring Him? Starting your day with Him? Ending your day with Him? Seeking Him over your flesh? Psalm 73 says: “There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” Nothing! Instead seek a Galatians 5 view of the flesh: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:19-23)
In James, we see the outcome of bad desire or wrong desire. He says: “When desire has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15) But on the other hand, the Bible is also full of instruction about good desire. Psalm 37:4 says: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
I desire for my daughter to be healthy, happy, and loved. She’s all I want to look at. The fact of the matter is you’ll stare at what you desire. If I’m living in God’s will I’m looking at Him. Paul lived that choice of seeking, desiring God’s will by praising, praying and looking to Him in jail and the lowest of circumstances. You may be going through a lot right now, or a little. But let’s look to Paul as a great example of enduring the harder times in life by keeping our eyes fixated on Jesus despite what might be obscuring our view.