Overcoming Spiritual Disconnection

I think that anyone who speaks frankly of spiritual life has to admit to experiencing spiritual valleys—dark spiritual times that are a confusing part of the human condition, but also a part of seeking an authentic relationship with God.

We’ve all had times when we’ve felt far away from God, for one reason or another.

We’ve all had times when we’ve felt spiritually “flat”—either unmoved, uninspired, or just plain uninterested.

We’ve all had times when we’ve felt angry at God, for one reason or another.

We’ve all had times when we’ve wondered why God allows the pain of a fallen world.

We’ve all had times when we’ve wondered why God allows pain into our life specifically.

We’ve all had times when we’ve prayed but felt that our prayers were not answered.

For one reason or another, it just seemed that God wanted to move things in the opposite direction of what we’d asked for. And we were left wondering why.

Maybe you’ve felt some or all of these aspects of a “spiritual valley” in the recent past or farther back, and that’s okay. It is normal. And in fact, I think it can be a healthy part of growing spiritually. Because often it is from the depths of despair that comfort is found and growth arises.

We just need to keep seeking God, even when that relationship seems rocky or cold.

Sometimes people get the idea that Christians, especially those “heroes” in the Bible, had some 24/7 perfect relationship with God—always upbeat, always faithful, always emotionally moved in a positive way. But that simply isn’t true.

Take for example the great King David, author of many of the Psalms, and someone who was said to be “a man after God’s own heart.”

In Psalm 22 verses 1-2 David writes:

“My God, why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help! Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.”

Now there is nothing sugar-coated about the above words. They are raw, they are filled with pain and anger, and maybe you feel as if they could have come from your very mouth at times.

Read the above words again, and think about how even “a man after God’s own heart” felt some of the same things you might be feeling at times. Despair, distance, depression.

But in the midst of his spiritual valley, David went on to write (in verse 3): Yet you are holy.

And that is how we ought to approach our spiritual valleys as well: with authenticity—which means its okay to feel angry or depressed or hopeless and to express those things—but ultimately with reverence and hope.

We should cling to faith in our dark times, faith that God is out there and knows our needs and is working to meet them.

Even when we don’t understand God’s motivations or feel extremely connected, we ought to say: “Yet you are holy,   God, and I have faith that you are working on my behalf because you love me. Ultimately, your plans are better than my plans, and I know they WILL work for my good.”

So if you are going through a spiritual valley right now, resolve to stay close to God. Pray to Him, and know that it’s okay to express exactly what you feel in whatever words you want to use.

It’s okay to express anger, to express consternation, to express depression, to express grief, to express doubt, and even to find ways of expressing “flatness,” as odd as that sounds.

And then, after expressing those things, pray this: “Yet you are holy, God, and I have faith that you are working on my behalf because you love me. Ultimately, your plans are better than my plans, and I know they WILL work for my good.”

I hope that you've enjoyed this message, and please enjoy my latest YouTube video about overcoming spiritual disconnection (link below), and don't forget to subscribe to The Lovely Grind on YouTube if you haven't already!

Michael

Coping With Feelings Of Spiritual Disconnection Link