Vital signs- Wednesday, May 25th, 2022

Seeking a Feeling is not Worship

God has promised repeatedly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Yet God 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 times when he appears to be MIA, missing-in-action, in your life. This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. Every Christian goes through it at least once, and usually several times. It is painful and disconcerting, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith. The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. Wrong! In fact, God often removes our feelings so we won't depend on them. Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship.

“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