Vital Signs: Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Faith Over Feelings

“There the upright could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge. Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” - Job 23:7-10 NKJV

God has promised repeatedly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Yet He has not promised, "You will always feel My presence." In fact, God admits that sometimes He hides His face from us (Isaiah 45:15). There are seasons when He seems MIA in our lives. This is a normal part of testing and maturing our friendship with God. Every believer will go through this, usually more than once. It is painful, unsettling, but absolutely essential for the development of real faith.

The most common mistake Christians make in worship is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. We chase after a feeling, and if it shows up, we assume we've truly worshiped. That’s not worship. God often removes our feelings to keep us from depending on them. Seeking closeness to Christ is good, but feelings are not the measure of faith. True worship is about seeking God for who He is, not what we feel.