When God Feels Absent

Description

In those raw, disorienting seasons when God feels far away…when pain weighs heavy and prayers seem to echo into silence – I want to share this truth: God’s presence is actually closer than ever. Swedenborg puts it beautifully in Secrets of Heaven 2819, reminding us that even in our darkest trials, “we think the Lord is absent, even though he’s then closer than ever.” I’ve sat with parents at the Ronald McDonald House, watched them grapple with loss, and seen how real that sense of absence can feel. But the spiritual path asks us to shift gently. To recognize God’s quiet nearness, often revealed through the kindness of others, the helpers, the better angels of our nature. Let us never allow pain to become the whole story of our life. We can honor it without being ruled by it. There’s another narrative always available to us. One of gratitude, community, and transformation…where God is always present, even when unseen.