How Do I Have a Relationship with a God I Can't See?
How Do I Have a Relationship with a God I Can't See?
Overview
It's a question most of us would be embarrassed to say out loud: how do I have a relationship with a God I can't see? Whether you're 6 or 86, you've probably thought it. Brad Kirby and Andre Samson start by widening the picture. Plenty of real relationships aren't built on sight, and the most important things in life, like love and trust, are invisible. Then they walk through how God has made Himself known: through creation, through Scripture, and most of all through Jesus. Last, they take on the question underneath the question. What do you do when you know God is real, but He doesn't feel close?
Three Takeaways
Relationships Aren't Built on Sight
Even apart from God, sight isn't what holds a relationship together. A child can stay close to a parent deployed with the military, and a dating couple can build real trust through calls and letters. The things that make relationships good, like love, trust, and forgiveness, are invisible too: you know they're real by what they do, like wind moving the leaves.
To Know God, Look to Jesus
God has made Himself known through creation and Scripture, and most of all through Jesus, the image of the invisible God. Watch Jesus touch lepers and welcome children, and you see God's compassion. Watch Him confront hypocrisy and forgive His enemies from the cross, and you see His holiness and His mercy.
Feelings Aren't the Gauge
For most Christians, the real struggle is that God feels far away. But feelings were never the best gauge of closeness: a parent up at 3 a.m. with a sick child may not feel sentimental, and the love is still there. Even David asked God, "How long?" and a quiet season doesn't mean the relationship has changed.
Scripture in This Episode
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Romans 1:20
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Psalm 13:1
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
Psalm 42:11
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Talk About It
When have you felt closest to God, and when has He felt most distant? What was going on in your life during each?
Creation, Scripture, Jesus: which has helped you know God most, and which have you tended to overlook?
Brad and Andre named some better questions to ask when God feels far: Am I making time with Him? Am I in His Word? Is there sin I'm not dealing with? Have I pulled away from other believers? Which one deserves an honest look right now?
Your Next Step
This week, try reading one chapter of a Gospel each day. As you read, ask one question: what does Jesus show me here about what God is like?
Take it with you
Download the printable one-pager below.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.*
