I have a feeling I am not alone when I say that there are times in my life it feels like God is just a million miles away. I look at circumstances in my life and think that if God were here then certainly this wouldn’t have happened. There are times I pray and I can’t hear his voice. I don’t mind being transparent in this thinking because I’m pretty sure that, whether you are a believer or not, you have felt this way at some point in time.

I was recently reading the story of John the Baptist, a man who had been thrown in prison for preaching the truth. At one point in his ministry he had the extreme privilege of introducing Jesus as the Messiah to the world, and baptizing Him. He even told his own followers, don’t follow me anymore, He is the One. Unfortunately, the pain of prison and the threat (which later became reality) of death had caused his faith to shrink. I only imagine that John had hoped that Jesus would do for him, what Jesus had done for some many “strangers”, help him. As far as we know from Scripture, Jesus never even visited him while in prison. The greatest prophet “born of woman” and yet John must have felt Jesus was so far away.

In my my heart I question why, but ultimately, I trust Jesus. I trust in the One who made heaven and earth. I trust the Sovereign One. I will trust the One who gave Himself, including His very life, for me. As a song goes, when I can’t trace His hand, I will trust His heart. I believe the words to that song must have come from Luke 7:23, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” Essentially, blessed is the one who doesn’t stumble or fall away because what I do, or even, what I may not do. In humility I will bow to the One who loves me, even when I may not “feel” it.