When Jesus is Absent

Have you ever gone through the experience of feeling terribly alone in the world?   Perhaps it seems as if all the friends that you thought you had have deserted you?   Or it may be with advancing years that your friends are dying off one by one and getting fewer and fewer, and you are becoming increasingly alone.   Or perhaps members of your family circle have emigrated to the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand and they are so far away that they are really out of reach.   So you feel alone and isolated.  You know the feeling, I’m sure.

One of the most perplexing experiences in the Christian life is when you feel so isolated, and as if the Lord is far away from His own people when they need Him most.  You find yourself asking fundamental questions, such as, ‘Where on earth is He?  Why has He left me?  What is He doing?  Has He forsaken His Church?  Does He not care for His children?   Does He not see what we are going through?   Has He no feelings for us?’

We can be consumed with anxious worry as our minds continually go over the same things time and time again trying to work out an answer and yet ending up no wiser.   We examine our own lives to see if we ourselves are the problem; we probe, we seek God to show us ourselves, we ask Him to put His finger on whatever may be causing our anxiety and trouble; and before God, we cannot honestly discover a cause.   We pray, we think about the Lord Jesus Christ and inwardly we long to get near Him, to know Him, and to enjoy fellowship with Him.   But it just seems to elude us.   And when we pray, the very heavens are like brass, and we just can’t get through.

Then, suddenly, a storm breaks, and we’re blown about all over the place.   We are perplexed, dismayed and confidence in ourselves and others all but disappears.   We have no energy, and feel spiritually drained and shattered.   Sleep at night may evade us, and we cannot concentrate on either our work, or our devotions.   Like Peter of old, our eyes seem to be on “the waves”, and not on our Lord Jesus Christ, (Mt.14:22-36).  What on earth is happening to us?

Perhaps we could look at John 6:16-21, and see if there is a word of help from the Lord that would make practical sense of our stormy Christian experience.   We need help, and we want help; so we must turn to God in His Word; we must listen and expect Him to speak His healing and comforting word to our troubled hearts; for His unchanging truth may be received by His humbled, broken disciples who want to learn and to know.

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This is an extract from J. E. Hazlett Lynch's book, "Courage Under the Cross in Troubled Times."  For details, please visit the posted on 15th Oct 2011.