QUESTION: I used to feel God so much, but now I don't. How can I walk with God when I can't feel Him?

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ANSWER: Feelings are a must in a meaningful relationship, but they aren't everything, and they can deceive you. Don't place all your trust in what you can feel.

One time I was walking in the woods and saw a long, slender object at my feet. My feelings reacted like it was a snake, so my adrenaline kicked in gear and I jump back! Once I got a better look, I saw it was just a stick. My feelings thought they were doing the right thing, but they were actually wrong. Feelings always respond to what they BELIEVE is true, not what is actually true. So just because you feel that God isn't with you right now doesn't mean your feelings are accurate. The Bible is more reliable than our emotions. And the Bible says He will "never leave us nor forsake us."

In a boy/girl relationship, feelings often begin to fade after the first year or two. Many couples get divorced after this happens, saying stuff like, "We just don't love each other any more." What they really mean is they don't have the feeling, so they're going to trash their wedding vows. They're relationship was based way too much on feelings, and not enough on commitment.

Feelings are a blessing from God. And God, Himself, feels deeply. It doesn't take too much reading in the Bible to figure that one out. Feelings are not immature. It's only when we make them the leader instead of the follower that we get into no-no land.

Sometimes God tests His children by pulling back their ability to feel Him, just to see if they trust Him enough to keep following Him even when they don't feel Him in their lives. (Remember that guy Job in the Bible?) During this time, it's absolutely important to do at least the following 3 things:

1. Spend a good bit of time with maturing Christians who encourage you;
2. Get into the Bible like never before, focusing on verses that build your faith (the Bible says that the righteous shall live by faith, not by their feelings).
3. Memorize some promises that God gives in the Bible;
4. Rely on the things that you know for sure, not the doubts that might creep into your mind during this desert season. Don't let those doubts begin to rule your thinking. Stick with what you know to be true.