When God Seems Far Away

Verse of the week

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

Jesus is with his people even when they cannot see how their circumstances will change.

At two in the morning, a hospital room can feel a long way from the rest of the world. The machines keep beeping. You watch the IV bag and wonder whether somebody knows it is running low. You find yourself listening for footsteps in the hallway. Right then, having somebody watching over you would be a relief.

That feeling follows us home sometimes. There is a problem you have prayed about so often that you almost apologize for bringing it up again. You have done what you know to do. You are still waiting. And somewhere in that waiting, a question begins to trouble you: Does God see what is happening here?

We can turn an unanswered question into a conclusion about God surprisingly quickly. If he cared, surely something would have changed by now. We may still say we trust him, while privately deciding we had better handle everything ourselves. Then we get tired. Or impatient with the people closest to us. Fear starts making decisions that we used to bring to God.

John knew something about suffering he could not escape. He was on Patmos because of the word of God and his testimony about Jesus. He introduced himself to the churches as their brother and companion in suffering. Then, on the Lord’s Day, he heard a voice behind him.

When John turned, he saw the risen Jesus among seven golden lampstands. Jesus explained that those lampstands were churches. There he was, in the middle of his people. John received that vision while he was still on the island.

The sight of Jesus overwhelmed him. John fell at his feet as though dead. And Jesus placed his right hand on him and said, “Do not be afraid.” Think about the tenderness of that moment. The Lord whose face shone like the sun reached down to touch a frightened man.

Jesus gave John a reason to trust him: “I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!” He had entered death and risen from it. The One speaking to John held its keys. Even the worst thing John could fear was under his Lord’s authority.

That is who sees you. Jesus knows the trouble you cannot fix, and he knows the sin you would rather keep hidden. Revelation begins by praising him as the One who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. You can come to him honestly. His love has already cost him far more than you could earn by holding yourself together.

Before you go back to the problem today, tell Jesus what you are afraid will happen. Be specific. Read Revelation 1:17–18 slowly, then ask him to help you take the next faithful step. You may still be waiting when you finish praying. You can bring that waiting to the living Lord who sees you and loves you.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.