Knowing that God tests our faith doesn’t take away the pain and frustration we experience when we journey through spiritual no-man’s land. When the heat is on and confusion mounts, some believers go through a horrendous spiritual crisis. They “lose God.” Doubt rises up to obscure His presence and disillusionment settles into despair. The great frustration is knowing that He created the entire universe by simply speaking it into existence, and He has all power and understanding. He could rescue. He could heal. He could save. But why won’t He do it? The sense of abandonment is a terrible experience for someone whose entire being is rooted in the Christian ethic.
Christians who “lose God” during a period of spiritual confusion are like a vine that has been cut off from its source. They are deprived of nurture and strength. They seem to cope at first, but the concealed wound is mortal. They begin to wither in the heat of the sun. They usually drop out of church and quit reading the Bible and praying. Some go off the deep end and begin doing things they would never have contemplated before. But there is no peace within. Indeed, some of the most bitter, unhappy people on earth are those who have become estranged from the God they no longer understand or trust.
(From Dr. James Dobson’s book, When God Doesn’t Make Sense.)
Just Between You and God
- Has your trial caused you to feel cut off from the Vine? If it seems as though you have “lost God,” ask Him to restore your faith and strengthen you during this time of trouble.
- Is your Bible just sitting on a shelf in your home, rarely opened? If it is, make a commitment to read just one verse a day from the Psalms. Look for the comfort David found when he rested in the arms of the Good Shepherd.
Pray These Words
Heavenly Father, you are the author and finisher of my faith and I thank you for that promise. Right now, I feel cut off, as though I’m dying spiritually. You prayed for your disciples, that their faith would not fail. Please restore my trust in You, so it would remain strong in times of trouble and I would be able to hold onto You.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
John 15:5-6
Related Resource:
Video: There is Purpose in Adversity
Adversity has a way of challenging your faith. Brenen and Morgan Beeler explain that it’s sometimes hard to understand what the Lord is doing when you’re in the midst of hardships, but that’s when you need Him the most and are learning to really trust Him. Watch Now >
