What Do You Do When You Can't Hear Him?

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope your week held more mercies than messes, but if not, grab that cup of coffee (or glass of wine if it’s evening) and settle in for our weekly chat.

On Tuesday I sat down with a stretch of time to write, and when my fingers hit the keys, I was met with silence. I took a beat, read my devotional for the day, sat in Romans for a while, and prayed, but I still didn’t feel God stirring anything in my heart.

So after an hour, I got up and did laundry instead.

Do you ever feel far away from God? Do you ever reach out in hopes of hearing something, only to hear crickets in response? If it has happened to you before, how did it make you feel?

Answer for me: It has put me in a total funk. This rhythm of writing to each of you every week has opened my heart up so much spiritually, and to be honest, I felt like I was failing by not having something to share with you.

But as I thought on this throughout the week, I realized that this moment is exactly what I should be sharing.

So I asked myself one more question: What do we do when we feel far from God?

That’s what we are exploring this week. If you are in (please tell me I am not alone), let’s dig in.

In His letter to the church in Colossae, Paul was teaching about Christian living. He was telling them in plain words how a person walking with Christ should spend their days. And in the middle of chapter 3, in verse 16, he gives us four very important things to do, all of which I think will help us when we feel far away from God.

First, he tells us that the word of Christ should dwell in us. He doesn’t say that we should just read God’s word, but that it should live inside our hearts and minds. That we should know who He is, who He says we are, and what our lives are meant to reflect.

Second, he tells us that we should be teaching and admonishing each other. As much as we sometimes want our spiritual journeys to be quiet and personal, we need other people around us to speak truth to us.

Paul then tells us we should be worshipping. Sometimes sitting quietly won’t do it for us, and there are other ways for us to connect to God. Just look at the Psalms of David or the laments of Jeremiah and how these men used them as intentional ways to engage with God.

And last, we should continue to give thanks. When we look around our worlds, there are always things to be thankful for, and we can see His goodness in the smallest corners of our days.

Paul isn’t guaranteeing that we will audibly hear from God at all times. He is telling us where to stay while we wait.

I am so glad I came across this verse this week.

It reset my heart in a way I needed and made me look at these pieces of walking with God in a new light.

What it showed me is how disconnected I have actually been. I turned each of these actions into things that had to be done, things that got me closer to a destination, instead of a way to connect to my Life Source.

I had not exactly abandoned any of these things. I simply lost the plot.

Somewhere along the way, I quietly stopped expecting God to meet me in worship, in thankfulness, in friendship, and in study. I was using them as a means to an end.

I was looking for something to fill this page, not seeking God because I longed to be in His presence.

They ask for worship songs in the car (usually the same three on repeat, which is its own kind of spiritual discipline for me), and then they lift their voices and their hands and sing right along with it. There is no agenda, no lyric they are searching for, no theme they are trying to land on. They just sing to Him.

So I am taking that worship song, the one I keep humming as I walk around the house, and singing it out loud because I know it’s true and it makes my heart happy.

Watching them do that without trying also has me paying attention to other things I have been walking past:

• Really listening to the words of the devotions I read at night and connecting to God through those.

• Talking with them about their memory verses for school and memorizing alongside them so that God’s word does in fact dwell in my own heart.

• Getting excited about heading back to a new season of Bible study, which starts in a few weeks. I am realizing how much I have missed this community piece.

• Looking around at the gifts surrounding me and thanking God for them for no other reason than praising Him and acknowledging His goodness.

The truth is there is no exact path to hearing from God. But taking instruction from His word and applying it to my own life is where I am starting.

God, I’m Just Grateful by Elevation Worship & Chandler Moore

Who am I that You keep me on Your mind?

God, I’m just grateful for You

God, I’m just grateful for You

All my life, You’ve been right here by my side.

God, I’m just grateful for You

God, I’m just grateful for You

We sang this song in church on Sunday, and it's the one I have been humming ever since.

I think we tend to come to God when we need things, and that is perfectly okay. In fact, the Bible calls us to do this. But sometimes it is so beautiful to come to Him with no agenda other than to marvel at His goodness and tell Him how thankful we are for His presence.

Sometimes I search for songs that connect to the exact moment I am living in. I will even pray in the car, God, send me a song I need this week. Again, I find myself seeking my own purposes.

This song is simply a song of worship and praise, one that can be lifted in any moment, at any time. I don’t know about you, but I need more songs like this in my playlist.

This week I thought I would share a prayer of gratitude, since thankfulness is the piece of Paul's list I keep coming back to. This one comes from my prayer book for motherhood, and if you are interested in grabbing a copy, send me a message.

Lord,

Thank You for little loves and laughter.

Thank You for glass lakes that ripple with rocks thrown.

Thank You for the “I think I cans” as we hold our breaths as moms.

Thank You for hearts both young and old.

Thank You for terrible tantrums that end in tight snuggles.

Thank You for sunny skies that melt into starry nights.

Thank You for an exhaustion that leaks into my bones but completely fills my soul.

Thank You for the smallest things that bring the greatest joy.

Amen.

Until next week, Blair