When You're Not Feeling It

Do you ever have those seasons with God where you’re just not “feeling it”? Where it seems like in comparison to the past, you’re not as excited about spending time with Him or going to church or praying or worshipping or whatever. Or it seems like you’re not hearing Him speak as much. Or countless other things that just don’t make it the easiest to follow God. It might feel like a lot of pain, or it might just feel painfully apathetic.

I 100% have had seasons like that. Honestly, more than I want to admit. But, I want to begin by saying that if this is you, please know that there is no shame or condemnation in this. Absolutely none. Scripture says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, so we get to trust this and know that if we are in Him, we are okay if we go through seasons like this. So any guilt is not from God. (If you’re super struggling with condemnation, read several of the last blog posts! They’re alllll about that!)

Now, I wish I could tell you why these seasons happen. I also wish I could tell you that there was an easy fix. Maybe like a light switch or something that you could just turn on, and then everything is back to normal with you and God. And maybe sometimes there is. But also a lot of times there isn’t, and that’s okay.

So what do we do in these dry or quiet or hard seasons? I don’t know if there is a one-size-fits-all solution. But I do know what has helped me in seasons like this.

Do it anyway.

In these dry and hard seasons, I think it can be hard to engage with God because we’re scared that we are just going through the motions or being inauthentic, so we just don’t do anything. But I don’t think that that’s how we should handle it!

I think that there is actually something really beautiful in these times where we aren’t really feeling a ton of emotion toward God, but we still choose to abide in Him. I think an intimacy develops when we acknowledge that even if things don’t feel quite right God is still worth worshipping and pursuing. Our feelings toward God do not change a thing about who He is or His heart towards us.

Even if we don’t feel super excited walking into a worship night, God is still worthy of our praise. Even if we don’t feel confident if He’ll respond to our prayer, it doesn’t change the fact that He is always listening to us. Even when we have no freaking clue what’s going on, and we don’t even have words to describe the season that we’re in, we can trust that the God who was present in the beautiful, crazy, wonderful seasons is the same God who is here now.

There is something that happens when we choose to go to God even when we aren’t feeling it. When we choose to move toward God, something begins to shift and soften in our spirits. So, if you just feel like there’s no reason to worship, pray, dance, whatever… I challenge you to do it anyway.

Be real before the Lord. Pray.

Listen, even if it feels a little awkward or uncomfortable, God already knows where you’re at. So you might as well tell Him.

You might be asking the question, “If God knows where I’m at, why do I need to actually tell Him?” Well, have you ever figured out that something was wrong with a friend and you wanted to help, but they hadn’t actually said anything yet, and you knew that if they just told you and let you in, it would just be easier? Like, you don’t have to wait for them to tell you, but it would just be so much better if they did? I’m not sure if I’m 100% right, but I really think that that’s how it is with God. Psalm 145:18 tells us that God draws near to those who call on Him in truth. So, even if it’s hard to tell Him something or you feel like He doesn’t care, we can hold fast to truth that He draws near.

When you choose to let Him in on what’s going on, it builds intimacy, it builds trust, it builds friendship. So, even if you aren’t “feeling” it, tell Him!! He will respond with what you need. And God Himself says that He is patient and slow to anger. So, I just really, really believe that in these moments and hard seasons, when we come to Him with whatever is on our hearts, He is going to draw near and meet us with patience, kindness and love.

And I would just encourage you to pray for God to move during this season. Jesus tells us ask and the door will be opened. So ask and ask and ask until you see a move of God. Tell God how you feel. Tell God how you’d like to see Him move so that you can be out of the hard season. But in the midst of petitioning God, be okay in the waiting.

Be okay in the waiting.

I think it can be easy to go from being unsure to being bitter if you aren’t careful. But I just want to encourage you to be patient in this season and to be okay in the waiting.

What I’m not saying: Settle for this hard season, and accept this as God’s best for you, and suck it up because that’s how it’s going to be!

What I am saying: Keeping praying for things to change. Make space for God to move. Make changes that you need to make. Press into the goodness of God. But don’t get so tired of the waiting that you try to exit the season outside of God’s will for you. Petition Him, but also wait until He says yes.

Hold tight to truth.

In these times, it can be hard to let our feelings (or lack thereof) or our circumstances determine how we view ourselves or view God. But I just really want to encourage you to hold tight to truth. Below I’m going to write out a few lies that it can be easy to believe in these seasons and truths that directly fight that:

Lie: God is distant when I’m not “feeling it.”
Truth: God is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
Lie: God is mad at me for feeling this way.
Truth: God is compassionate to this season and how it’s affecting you. (Psalm 145:8)
Lie: You have to carry this burden for yourself and go through this alone.
Truth: God wants to take this burden from you and walk through this season hand-in-hand with you. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Lie: This will never end.
Truth: Persevering through the hard stuff is worth what’s on the other side. (James 1:2-4)
Lie: Maybe it’s not worth it.
Truth: God is worthy of any and everything. Even enduring hard things. (Revelation 4:11)

Cling to these truths. Read them. Write them down. Even if they’re hard to believe, ask God to show you what it would look like for you to live as if these things are true.

If you’re reading this and going through a hard season, I pray over and encourage you that it is worth it, and God is good. He is empathetic to the hard stuff. Invite Him in. He responds to our brokenness. Just give Him the space to do that by inviting Him in. You’re loved a lot by Him. :) <3 :) <3

Author | Hannah Cole