Former Blackout Artist

“Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” – C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

One of the most profound truths in the Christian life is that God is often closest when He seems farthest away. It’s in these moments of spiritual dryness, when the heavens feel silent and our prayers seem to echo unanswered, that our faith is tested. We often equate God’s presence with our feelings – feeling comforted, feeling joyful, or feeling assured. But faith is not about feeling. It’s about trusting! It’s choosing to believe that God is still working, still present, even when we can’t see it.

Think of a time when you felt alone in your spiritual journey. (Maybe you’re there right now, even.) Perhaps you were struggling with a tough decision, a painful loss, or a season of doubt. None of us are immune to these things. The temptation in these moments is to think that God has forgotten us or that He’s distant. But Scripture tells us otherwise! Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God sees us exactly where we are, and He is intricately involved in every detail of our lives. He understands the full scope of our struggles, our pain, and our confusion.

The greatest acts of faith often come not in moments of great triumph, but in the quiet, unseen decisions to trust God when everything around us screams that He is absent. It’s easy to obey God when we feel His presence. The challenge – and the true test of our faith – comes when we obey despite feeling abandoned, when we continue to walk in His will without any emotional assurance or visible signs of His presence.

This is precisely why the enemy is most threatened in these moments! It’s when we, like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, say, “Not my will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42), despite the agony and confusion, that we become unshakeable. Our trust in God isn’t based on circumstances, but on His unchanging character.

Today, if you find yourself feeling distant from God, remember that He is closer than you think. Keep praying, keep seeking, and keep obeying. God is working in ways you cannot see, and your faith in Him is never in vain. The enemy trembles when a believer holds onto God in the silence, choosing to trust and obey, even when it seems unreasonable. This is the kind of faith that moves mountains and brings glory to God in the unseen places of our lives.

Not a burden we bear,
  Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
  Not a grief or a loss,
  Not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
“Trust and Obey” by John H. Sammis (1887)