Ask why you didn't go with Him?

you borrow my book - Finding God in unexpected places. It's on my bookshelf - help yourself.

Since I read that, I keep expecting him to pop up when I'm on the bus or something.

When God seems far away, guess who moved!

Sometimes I just think God is silent. And sometimes I don't think that it is our fault every time. Sometimes I think God has reasons for His silence that aren't initially clear and might never be clear.

Oswald Chambers has some to say on God's silence. I'll attach the link here. I reread it tonight and found it a little annoying. And I usually get a lot from Mr. Chambers. He just seems to be saying that God is so confident in my faith and loves me so much that to affirm that He's going to ignore me. But that's just me at the moment and I do recall getting a measure of comfort in it the first time I read it. 

I don't have any answers. I don't think you're even looking for answers from anyone. I know I never really need other people to answer my questions; most of the time I just need it to be okay that I have them.

All I can do is tell you I will pray (and actually mean it; so many silly people say they'll pray and never do). I'm especially going to pray that you get it all figured out and tell the rest of us!

I don't know what you do when God goes on vacation. Get out of bed every morning is the best I have to offer tonight. :) Does inserting a smiley face make it better?

I hear you Kami

(LIES! I actually read)

jen, I hear you.

I must admit to being narked at the whole bumper sticker-esque "guess who moved" idea as it implies that you're doing something wrong and you have to figure out what it is before God will engage with you again. This isn't really the way God shows himself to work through the new covanent.

You're right, all I'm really looking for is anybody to say 'yeah that happened to me too and this is how it turned out' as I know this, like most other trouble in life, is a passing thing. I'm assuming not everyone is in a state of glorious communion with the almighty.

And the smiley face does help, thanks.

I've been going through something similar for a while.  And through conversations with other people, it seems we're not alone.

I really want to have the closeness I once had with God.  I don't have an answer.  The only way I know is to just keep on keeping on.

Personally I've found this passage from Habukkuk an encouragement to keep going:

17 Though the fig tree does not bud
       and there are no grapes on the vines,
       though the olive crop fails
       and the fields produce no food,
       though there are no sheep in the pen
       and no cattle in the stalls,  18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
       I will be joyful in God my Savior.
 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
       he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
       he enables me to go on the heights.


Habukkuk 3:17-19

Kami, I also had a very similar experience some time last year. For about 5 weeks, it was very strange, as if God had removed his 'felt' presence from my life. Church services were dull and lifeless (I know, we don't go to church for what we get but what we give, but even so...!), prayers were incredibly hard going, and even my emotions went numb. It was fairly surreal.

To this day, I don't really understand what happened.

It ended one Sunday evening, when, after the evening service, having played the piano very non-inspirationally, I went home, on my knees before God and just prayed and prayed. I then put on a DVD featuring Jars of Clay live playing 'Worlds Apart'. The lyrics of that song are incredible. Anyway, it just broke me, and I was there with tears running down my face, and all of sudden, God was There. No flashing lights, no voice, no angels. Just a 'sense' of His presence.

I guess sometimes He just does that maybe to help our faith, I don't know. It'd just encourage you to persevere, to keep plugging away for however long it takes!! Hope this helps in some small way...