When God Seems Distant: A Prayer

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    So many times God feels far away, distant, like He does not see, hear or care.
    A prayer for these times:

    “God, we do not feel your nearness. We cannot see your hands at work. We wonder if you’ve taken a break or whether you care. We cannot feel your love and are overwhelmed by sadness. We cannot recognize the gifts you offer us and it seems as though you have forgotten.
    In these times, help us believe. Help us believe your nearness even though we cannot feel or see you; we cannot touch or hear you. Help us to trust you are near. Help us to keep going.
    When others sense you distant, may we help them to see your love, your hands and your feet working for their good. When others cannot see, help us to see for them and love them well just as you do. Thank you for your great love for us. Amen.”
 
**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**

When God Feels Far Away

**Sit quietly, eyes closed and in silence for one minute before reading.**

    There are times when we feel as if God is far away. We cannot sense Him anywhere, we do not see any good around us and wonder where He has gone.
 
    I love time with people and being with people and when I feel like God is not near I struggle. I struggle to believe He is near, I struggle to believe He sees me and I struggle to trust in His love and goodness.

    How about you? When you do not feel God is near, how do you respond? How do you continue to believe in His goodness and love for you when you cannot feel it?

**Sit again in silence for as long as is available to you.**