How to Trust in God Even When You Can’t See Him

Feeling like God is invisible? Dive into our empowering article that provides spiritual guidance for those times when God feels distant. Discover how to navigate this phase with faith and resilience.

There are moments in our faith journey when God’s presence might seem distant or indiscernible. You pray, you seek, but you feel like you’re walking in a fog. It’s in these moments that your faith is truly tested. So, what should you do when you can’t see God? Let’s explore some biblical truths and practices that can guide you during such times.

Hold onto His Promises

Despite feelings of divine distance, God promises never to leave us (Hebrews 13:5). In moments of spiritual desolation, hold onto these promises. Meditate on scriptures that reaffirm God’s unfailing presence. Your feelings are valid, but they don’t dictate God’s presence or His love for you.

Practice Persistent Prayer

Prayer is a lifeline, even when it seems your words are bouncing off the ceiling. It’s not about feeling God; it’s about seeking Him. Jesus encourages persistent prayer (Luke 18:1-8). Persistence doesn’t change God; it changes us, aligning our will to His and strengthening our faith.

Engage in Worship and Praise

When God feels distant, engage in praise and worship. There’s power in singing God’s truth over your life. As you worship, you focus on God’s character, not your circumstances. His character doesn’t change based on our feelings or situations.

Seek Fellowship and Spiritual Support

Reach out to fellow believers. You’re not alone in this struggle. Many biblical figures, including King David and Mother Teresa, experienced periods of spiritual dryness. Fellowship provides comfort, encouragement, and much-needed perspective.

Stay in the Word

When God feels absent, stay in His Word. The Bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) and has the power to inspire, convict, and comfort us. It’s a tangible reminder of God’s presence and His work in the lives of believers.

Serve Others

In times of spiritual blindness, service can shift our focus from our circumstances to the needs of others. Christ demonstrated love through service. As we serve, we become God’s hands and feet, and often, we encounter Him in surprising ways.

Trust His Heart

When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust His heart. God’s love for you is constant and unfailing, even when you can’t see it. Even in the silence, God is at work. Remember the truth of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Practice Patience

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that’s cultivated in times of waiting. Waiting for God to reveal Himself can be frustrating, but it’s often in the waiting that we grow the most. Don’t rush the process.

Remember, faith is about trusting in what we cannot see. Just as a foggy morning doesn’t mean the sun isn’t shining, our inability to see God doesn’t mean He isn’t there. God’s apparent absence might be an invitation to lean more into faith, patience, and persistence.

When you can’t see God, remember that feelings of spiritual dryness are common to believers. You’re not alone. Also, remember that God’s presence isn’t contingent on our ability to perceive Him. God is always present, even when we can’t feel it.

Just as the writer of Psalm 42:5 declared, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

In conclusion, if you’re in a season where God seems absent, take heart. Keep seeking, keep praying, keep worshipping, keep serving, and keep trusting. Remember, it’s often through these testing periods that our faith deepens, our character strengthens, and our relationship with God becomes even more intimate. God’s silence isn’t His absence, and His invisibility doesn’t equate to inactivity. Trust in His unfailing love and faithfulness.