God Has Not Moved Away from You

Does it sometimes feel like God is a million miles away? Do you ever wonder if God has deliberately chosen to move away from you? A faithful sister in our church is fond of saying, “If you feel far from God, guess who moved.” You can rest assured, God has not moved away from you.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  James 4:8 (NKJV)

The great preacher, G.E. Patterson, told the story of a couple who had been married for more than 25 years. One day they came to the pastor for some marriage counseling. The wife complained that it felt like her husband just wasn’t as close to her as he once was. She gave an example: ”We used to sit so close to each other in the car, people couldn’t tell whether there was one person or two sitting in the front seat.”

After hearing her out, the husband spoke up and said, “Honey, think about this. Back in those days, I was always the one who was driving. And I’m still the one who does the driving. So, guess who moved!”

(Well, one thing we must consider: They obviously started dating back in the days when cars were equipped with “bench seats.” Unlike modern cars, there was no center console between the driver’s and passenger’s seats – another way modern times have forced us to be more distant from one another!)

But you get the point of the above illustration. Oftentimes, we feel that the other person has distanced himself or herself from us. But it is we who have moved away from the other person! Or we may feel that the pastor and the congregation have distanced themselves from us. But it is we who have moved away from them.

And so, it must be with regard to our relationship with God. If you feel like God is far from you, just know that God has not moved away from you.

Sadly, just like in the above anecdote, believers who were once VICTORIOUS in faith and fellowship have moved farther and farther away from the Lord. But it happened so gradually, that they are not even aware of their own culpability in the fading of their relationship with Him.

So here is what Satan convinces us to believe, often subconsciously. (NOTE: Even if some of these points do not apply to you, they still serve as an important reminder to all of us.)

The first sentences in each point may be the truth. But then immediately comes Satan’s lies:

1. You know you have no prayer life to speak of.  But God is the one who did the moving farther away from you.
2. You know you’ve not read your Holy Bible for weeks, or months, or years. But the Lord is the one who did the moving away from you.
3. You know you’ve not been in God’s house to praise Him with your voice and uplifted hands for weeks, months, or years. But He is the one who did the moving away from you.
4. You know you have not listened to a Holy Spirit-anointed preacher deliver the Word for weeks, or months, or years. But the Lord is the one who did the moving away from you.
5. You know you have not been to a Bible study with other believers for weeks, or months, or years. But God is the one who did the moving away from you.
6. You know that you’ve been spending much more time with newscasters, spin doctors, and entertainers than enjoying time alone with the Lord. But He is the one who did the moving away from you.
7. You know you’ve not partaken of Holy Communion with the saints at God’s altar for weeks, or months, or years. But the Lord is the one who did the moving farther away from you.

“God is the one who did the moving away from you!” This is exactly what Satan wants you to believe.

“Well,” you say, “I was doing all those things, or at least some of them. But I just gave up because I wasn’t feeling like He was there anymore. My experience didn’t match what the Bible says.” For a certain period of time, this may be true! God deliberately remains silent in order to test the mettle of our faith. It is then that we come to find out whether our faith is based on confident belief or fleeting feeling.

All one needs to do is examine the lives of the Psalmists and the Prophets to see how the greatest people of faith experienced the seeming abandonment of God for a season. But at the end of each chapter or book, their testimonies consistently bear witness to the fact that God always comes through in the end.

If I have been convinced that Jesus – who loved me so much that He died for me, who is a “Friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24); and who will “never leave me nor forsake me” (Hebrews 13:5) – is more distant than He used to be; or is no longer accessible; or no longer answers prayer; (or no longer exists!), it is I, NOT He, who has moved.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV)

I end this devotional with the words to a song that was one of my mother’s favorites:

Jesus is my Savior, I shall not be moved.
In His love and favor, I shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water,
Lord, I shall not be moved.

In my Christ abiding, I shall not be moved;
In His love I’m hiding, I shall not be moved;
Just Like a tree that’s planted by the waters,
Lord, I Shall Not Be Moved.

If I trust Him ever, I shall not be moved.
He will fail me never, I shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters,
Lord, I shall not be moved.

I shall not be, I shall not be moved.
I shall not be, I shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters,
Lord, I shall not be moved.

The Lord will neither leave nor abandon you. But He will respect your free will. Remember that He said through the mouth of His apostle, James: “Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you.”

And if we have moved away from the Lord Jesus, God allows U-turns!

“Therefore, say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Return to Me,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD of hosts.”  Zechariah 1:3 (NKJV)

May the Lord richly bless you as you determine not to be moved away from Him who will never move away from you!