What To Do If You Stop Feeling God’s Presence

For a couple of times this past week, someone had posted on the Christianity board on Reddit about their personal relationship with God, how they had once enjoyed feeling His Presence, and that currently that had gone away. They were tempted to see this as a losing of “faith” (even though one’s lack of feeling God’s presence today does not nullify their past history of such) and had asked for advice.

What I offered below is not a full-throttle guarantee that their faith will be renewed. After all, the Holy Spirit flows where He wishes.  But that said, I think it’s a good start.  In fact, I try to ask myself these five questions daily.

Would you mind if I ask a few questions?

1. How’s loving the Lord with your whole heart going for you?

You say you don’t feel His love, and that’s okay… Mother Teresa spent the second half of her life (the part when she was highly visible) not feeling the love of God. And yet she still persevered. Are there areas in your walk that are getting higher love than Christ? Money? Fame? Relationships? Job?

Do some soul-searching, and entrust those areas under the Lordship of Christ.

2. How’s loving the Lord with your whole soul working for you?

Some denominations don’t have a category for this–I admit it’s a tricky one. For my denomination, it entails partaking in the Sacraments. Does your church have a Sacramental theology, and if so, how active are you in pursuing it? Or if your denomination has another approach to loving the Lord with your soul, how well are you doing that?

Pursue the Sacraments as much as you are able.  Cleanse your soul with the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and feed your soul with the Body of Christ.  Internally renew your baptismal and confirmation vows.  If married or in a religious vocation, renew those vows as well.  Spend time with Christ in Adoration.

3. How’s loving the Lord with your whole mind working for you?

Are you reading the Scripture daily? Or a solid classic devotional? Do you know what your faith is? Do you know why your faith holds to the tenets of what it is? Do you know where your church stands on specific contemporary hot potatoes? Would you be able to defend critics of such stances? Have you wrestled with the hardest of such doctrines, and where are you now with those? How about great figures of the faith–how familiar are you with Church history? Are you always prepared to give an answer to anyone who has a question about your faith?

Set up a routine where you are continually challenged mentally, whether through the Scriptures or other holy writings.  Memorize the faith.  Struggle with those areas of faith that you do not yet understand.

4. How’s loving the Lord with your whole strength working for you?

In your prayer-life, do you interiorly sense that God may have challenged you to something, and that you have not yet done so? Are you fearful? Afraid? Perhaps you are challenged to honor God with your money (tithing). Or you are challenged to honor God with your stomach (fasting). Or perhaps you have opportunities to serve God, and do so in a manner so that your left hand does not know what your right hand is doing. Are there challenges that you need to pursue?

Find avenues for you to obey God, whether others know about it or not.  Take firm steps towards an actionable faith.

5. How’s loving your neighbor as your self working for you?

In your walk, do you encounter peers, co-workers, family members, roommates, and grocery store clerks who need prayer and assistance? How are you doing that for them? Perhaps there’s a volunteer opportunity you need to pursue, such as helping build a person’s house or feeding the homeless. How are those opportunities around you to plug in?

Ask God daily to make known to you any opportunities to serve another, whether it be in conversations or in actions.  Find ways to be Christ for another.

I believe that if you take these five questions with you and wrestle with them, then your faith will find areas you need to grow in, and in taking steps, you may find your faith rejuvenated.

If you know somebody who is struggling with feeling their faith, could you be an angel and forward them this blog post, if you think it will help?  Thanks.

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