He Heard My Voice
God hears us whether He feels far or near
“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and He heard my voice.” Psalm 18:7
The Lord hears us when we cry out to Him. He is always near us and is always attentive to us, not just in our needs but in our cares, concerns, and desires as well. How often does He feel far away from you? How often do you wish He made Himself more obvious?
These questions are something that we all share from time to time. A lot of the time, our emotional state or anxiety/stress level can give us the impression of feeling God’s nearness (consolation) or feeling as if He is far away (desolation). But oftentimes, this perhaps says more about us than it says about Him. We can know intellectually that God is always near to us, but if we are distracted or otherwise do not sense Him, then He feels absent.
Dr. Edward Sri provides practical guidance if we find ourselves in this situation. The first step is to persevere in prayer, even in the midst of darkness or dryness. This dryness might last for weeks, months, or even years. Second, do not compare yourself to others, each soul and each relationship with God is unique. Third, be real with God about how you feel and ask Him to fill your emptiness. And finally, trust God. (Dr. Sri on “When God Feels Far Away in Prayer”)
It is so important for us to have faith that God is near. Truly, this is what is meant by faith. It is the gift by which we know that God draws near to His people. It is not a feeling. Nor is it a blind leap. There are good reasons to believe in God, to believe in the Christian Faith, and to know the Catholic Church is the true Church. This intellectual knowing is not enough to help us navigate our lives. We need to have faith: to live as if God is near to us. We know He is near to us. But we do not always feel it. Part of faith is living in the truth of what we know and not letting our lack of feeling derail our spiritual lives.
Note: apologies for the duplicate email. I accidentally clicked paid post instead of free.