Feeling distant from God? Here are three barriers that can separate us from experiencing God’s presence and how to overcome them.
1) Sin is an obvious barrier between us and God, because it is ultimately disharmony between our will with God’s will. Sin leads to guilt and shame. The solution? We need to bring our darkness into the light by confessing to close friends. If you are an Orthodox or Catholic Christian, we present these sinful habits in the rite of confession with our spiritual father/priest and experience God’s healing in this worshipful experience. Many people are fooled into thinking that confession creates shame when the reality is that Christ gave the ministry of reconciliation and the rite of confession to the Church as a way to REMOVE SHAME AND FREE US FROM THE BURDEN OF SIN. (Christ equips the Apostles and their successors, the bishops and presbyters, with the grace to forgive sins in His name- John 20:22-23 “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven”).
2) Distractions are one of the biggest barriers to feeling God’s presence. There is so much noise in our world. Even during those rare moments of silence, we turn on our favorite songs to fill the airwaves. The sights and sounds of the screens all around us can overwhelm our ability to hear the still small voice of God. The solution? Embrace silence and find intentional times to be prayerfully silent with scripture, in a prayer corner at home, in church, or on a walk. I often will take a short 5 minute walk and pray the Jesus prayer on a prayer rope which is an ancient practice of Christians. Meditating on the name of Jesus throughout the day is a great way to overcome distractions and will fill our minds with Him Who desires to be ever present with us.
3) God-given responsibility is the last barrier. This is a bit ironic, but it is quite common. We are often fooled into thinking that we need to carry out our roles and responsibilities (such as parent/co-worker) without the continual help of God and His power/energy working through us. We try to do everything on our own, and so often we can feel an immense burden that brings about worldly anxiety and sorrow instead of God’s peace and joy. The solution? Unite your will with God’s will in all things by uniting dishwashing, cooking, cleaning, teaching, writing, driving, speaking, serving, lifting boxes, and even holding meetings with prayer. Ask God to make all of your work holy and pleasing to Him. Rely on God’s energy instead of your own. The Apostle Paul clearly stated that his fast-paced ministry from city to city was fueled by God’s energy: “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29 ESV). Also, whenever any task is done with great love, feeling that love is feeling God’s presence. This is most obvious with children. When we tirelessly parent our children, take a moment to feel your love for them and realize that God feels that way about you. This will bring God’s presence closer to you.
Lastly, even if you still feel like you are in a dark place and cannot feel God’s presence, know that He is still there whether your emotions acknowledge Him or not. Many of the greatest saints and heroes of the faith could not feel God’s closeness like they did during the earlier parts of their ministries. Even though this was a challenge for them, they continued to stay united and obedient to our Lord despite their emotions and feelings, because they knew God was the source and energy of any good that they did. 1 John 3:24 says it well: “All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.” This truth reminds us that keeping God’s commands to love will keep us connected to the Holy Spirit.”
Barrel Aged Faith 