I have to ask this because I feel like I can't solve this on my own.
I wanted to ask you guys and ladies out there if you've ever felt really crestfallen or in a really bad experience and felt God or Jesus close to you?
I have heard people saying that in their misery they truly felt Him near and being there for them. Personally I have almost always made the opposite experience. I've often even talked to Jesus in the midst of my hurt but there was absolutely nothing.
I don't doubt God's existence and I don't doubt Jesus Christ coming here for us. I just don't have any personal account of Him ever being near me when I needed Him and I was wondering if maybe some of you have experienced that too and how you cope with it. Only if you want to share anything.
God bless ya.
This is important to me.
I have had some serious bouts with anxiety over the past 5years and I can very much relate to feeling vacant and abandoned when I needed most to feel seen and counted amongst His flock. I have since come to realize that faith is holding on tightly to the truth even when my "emotions" and "feelings" aren't lining up with it. I had to lead my heart to trust in Him and I would read and claim every promise I could in the Bible until the feeling had passed. I think it was Moody who said praying is us talking to God, reading Scripture is God talking to us.
I am reminded of Ezekiel in 1 Kings 19; after the wind and the earthquake and the fire had past, he finally heard the "gentle whisper". Sometimes life and our emotions have a way of disconnecting us and tuning God out which is why it's important to take the time every day to make sure you can hear the still, small voice so, when the storm rages, you still can hear your Shepherd calling you 🤍🖤
First of all I want to say thank you very much, I'm really happy to read your insights! That's really kind. 😊 I had half thought people didn't see this post or possibly also didn't have an answer. I'm so happy that you could relate to this (I'm very sorry also that you can relate to this) and that you shared your experience, thank you! ☺️💚
I've struggled with this for a loooong time now because that's probably the main experience in my troubles and it took me a loooong time not to completely lose faith and become a raging ball of anger because of this. ;)
It took me a long time to actually observe more and see what is happening.
So what I've learnt so far is maybe similar to what you also were trying to convey. Last night in prayer (which I did begrudgingly at first) I got sent a feeling, like some higher loving being touching my heart very softly and briefly. And it didn't really come as words (it usually doesn't when it's really genuine) but it felt like a quick touch of my perception and it was like - "Do you really think I could do this, leave you?"
It was very matter-of-factly and it's hard to describe in words. But with the help of what you wrote I would translate it as an analogy like : someone covers your nose with his hand and you freak out because you think your nose is gone and you can't breathe. You suddenly cannot see your nose and don't know why and you think it's gone and you get sad and feel terribly lost. All the while you don't realize that you've been breathing through your nose the entire time.
The message was definitely not patronizing or anything, I would say it was very loving and just trying to point at something that was there. Like, child, you were just caught in the middle of a smoke grenade, it is not possible that I leave you, genuinely. In a totally pragmatical way too.
I think those of us who had a parent or a caretaker leave at some point have this crazy picture in our head due to this not-computable experience that this is in fact possible. That someone you love deeply and who you assume loves you deeply would actually be able to leave us for whatever thing and go so much against our best interest and our needs. As a small child it is usually not thinkable that this is even possible because we know oneness. Until something like this happens and then we think it is. I am having a very hard time unlearning this but I'm honestly thoroughly thankful that I have my faith even if it's rocky and that I have Jesus who seems to help even though I'm still wary oftentimes. And I'm mighty glad to have people like you who understand.
This is a long post but maybe it can help someone out there too. Thank you again. 💜