Feeling Lost or Far From God

"From one man he made every nation of men ... God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being'" - (Acts 17:26-28, NIV). 

A Daily Dose Devotional reader writes, "I am feeling lost before God and fear that I will never get to heaven and am on my way to hell. Please can you help me?"


Dear beloved, feeling lost in relationship to God and feeling far from him is something many people experience, so you are not alone in your struggle. This can be caused by various things such as the following:


First, it can be because we are depending on our feelings rather than trusting in what God's Word says. Pray to God and confess that I have strayed from my first love for you and want to recommit my life and way to you. Please help me to become what you want me to be and always live a life that will please you and be a witness to others of your saving grace and power. If you prayed the prayer to receive Jesus as your Savior and truly meant it, God has forgiven all your sins and has guaranteed that you have the gift of eternal life in Heaven with God forever. You need to believe God's Word and what he says regardless of your feelings. We are saved by faith in God and not by our feelings.


Second, feeling lost or far from God can be caused by guilt ... that is, if we are acting in ways that we know are sinful and wrong. This causes a barrier to come between us and God. If this is the case, you need to confess your sins to God and change your ways.


Third, another major reason for feeling lost and / or feeling far from God is because of impaired relationships which can go back all the way from yesterday to early childhood. If you have any unresolved issues with any significant person in your life, ask God to help you to resolve this if at all possible. If this isn't possible, you need to resolve any repressed negative feelings in you (such as hurt and / or anger) regarding this relationship so you can freely forgive the person (or persons) whom you feel have hurt you. These supercharged negative feelings not only build a barrier between ourselves and loved ones, but also between ourselves and God.