When God Seems A Million Miles Away
Nobody ever told me in youth ministry that I would face many times when I was trying to bring the teenagers closer to Christ while I felt a million miles away from Him myself. Early in my ministry, I felt like a phony and a con artist during those non-feeling times. Though I was far from perfect, those silent seasons didn't come because of the typical pitfalls (i.e. lack of personal devotion time, willful sin, or blatant disobedience). The old time preachers used to refer to these times as "when the heavens are brass." It's tough to tell your students, "Let's all pray together, but I'm honestly not very sure myself that God is listening to me right now. So good luck on your end!"
Then one unforgettable day, I read Isaiah 50:10 and the lights came on. (Drum roll, please.)
"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys His servant? Let the man who walks in the dark and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God."
Let me break down this awesome verse for you. Maybe it will help you (both as a Christ follower and as a youth leader when you hit these dark times in your own ministry and walk with Christ:
"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys His servant?"
The Lord used these words to clearly show me that God was talking to "His kids" in this verse, not nonbelievers. So I saw that even conscientious Christians sometimes walk through these dark, unfeeling times.
"Who walks in the dark..."
What are we supposed to do when the spiritual blackout comes? Keep walking! Keep doing the things you did before the lights went out. Don't let yourself sit down on the inside, no matter how tempting it is to get spiritually lazy or quit.
"Trust in the name of the Lord..."
In the Old Testament, a person's name reflected their character. So the Lord is telling us, "Trust My character as revealed through My Word." God's character can always be trusted when your feelings cannot.
"And rely on his God."
In Hebrew, the word "rely" translates, "to lean heavily upon." He's saying, "Lean heavily upon My Word. You don't have to worry. I'm steadfast and I won't be moving! Lean heavily upon Me and you'll still keep your balance."
So the next time you face one of those "darkness of God" times (that's what the early church fathers called it), be encouraged that it is all part of our growth and maturity in Him. You're far from a phony. And remember Corrie ten Boom's profound advice: "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets really dark, don't panic and jump off! Just sit still and trust the conductor."
Nobody ever told me in youth ministry that I would face many times when I was trying to bring the teenagers closer to Christ while I felt a million miles away from Him myself. Early in my ministry, I felt like a phony and a con artist during those non-feeling times. Though I was far from perfect, those silent seasons didn't come because of the typical pitfalls (i.e. lack of personal devotion time, willful sin, or blatant disobedience). The old time preachers used to refer to these times as "when the heavens are brass." It's tough to tell your students, "Let's all pray together, but I'm honestly not very sure myself that God is listening to me right now. So good luck on your end!"
Then one unforgettable day, I read Isaiah 50:10 and the lights came on. (Drum roll, please.)
"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys His servant? Let the man who walks in the dark and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God."
Let me break down this awesome verse for you. Maybe it will help you (both as a Christ follower and as a youth leader when you hit these dark times in your own ministry and walk with Christ:
"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys His servant?"
The Lord used these words to clearly show me that God was talking to "His kids" in this verse, not nonbelievers. So I saw that even conscientious Christians sometimes walk through these dark, unfeeling times.
"Who walks in the dark..."
What are we supposed to do when the spiritual blackout comes? Keep walking! Keep doing the things you did before the lights went out. Don't let yourself sit down on the inside, no matter how tempting it is to get spiritually lazy or quit.
"Trust in the name of the Lord..."
In the Old Testament, a person's name reflected their character. So the Lord is telling us, "Trust My character as revealed through My Word." God's character can always be trusted when your feelings cannot.
"And rely on his God."
In Hebrew, the word "rely" translates, "to lean heavily upon." He's saying, "Lean heavily upon My Word. You don't have to worry. I'm steadfast and I won't be moving! Lean heavily upon Me and you'll still keep your balance."
So the next time you face one of those "darkness of God" times (that's what the early church fathers called it), be encouraged that it is all part of our growth and maturity in Him. You're far from a phony. And remember Corrie ten Boom's profound advice: "When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets really dark, don't panic and jump off! Just sit still and trust the conductor."
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I wish someone would have taught me much earlier in my walk with Christ that "desert" experiences do not necessarily mean you have done anything wrong, but are often times part of God's plan for spiritual growth.
There are Godly purposes and responses to our desert times and in this Youth Leader's Coach we'll discover them. For often times, the Lord speaks the loudest while in the desert. And, as long as we learn to listen with a different set of ears, the experience and growth can be profound.
So grab a cup of coffee and let's dive in...together!
Listening intently,
Today's youth culture often lives by the mantra, "If it feels good, do it!" But we all know that being led by our feelings is a ticket to spiritual disaster. That's why this Source is so strategic. I've entitled it, "When The Goosebumps Fade." The focus is trying to help the students in our youth church to walk consistently with the Lord, no matter what they might or might not be feeling.
You'll also appreciate one of the key stories I've included, "Three Praying Men." It's been huge in my own personal life as I've tried to pursue the Lord with consistency, no matter how I felt. And just in case no one has told you lately, you really are making a difference in the lives of your teenagers...no matter how YOU might feel.
Loving you whether you're FEELING IT or not,
This Source, "Dear Jeanne...," is a little different than some of our other nights. We structured this night to have a closer, more intimate feel. Instead of fill-in notes, I wrote six monologues based on some of the real concerns that a large group of students struggle with.
Even though the messages and events can be incredible, often when students show up at a youth service, they can feel like no one's talking about the stuff that's going on "inside their head." So for "Dear Jeanne...," I let the monologues express honest, and often hidden, thoughts and mind games that our students think.
You'll feel the distinction almost immediately. In a room of several hundred, I felt as though I was able to have a heart-to-heart talk with many of them. This night will quickly become a very memorable one.
We've included everything you need to make this night work for you. Change it, adapt it, and have a memorable night with your gang!
Lovingly your biggest fan,
We're wired to feel...we like it...in fact, we love it! I would go so far as to say that we have an "addiction" problem. We want to "feel" when it comes to our music, media, friendships, etc. Unfortunately, with it typically comes the desire to abandon it or them once we no longer "feel" the same way.
If we're not careful, we can have that same faulty mentality when it comes to the Lord. Most of us can tell you an exact time and place where we felt God the most, maybe on a retreat or during a worship service. But, we can also tell you that the "feeling" wore off a few days later and, if we're honest, how we secretly longed to have it back.
I guess I wish some of my leaders would have been more forthright regarding how to handle "non-feeling" times. I think that's why I am so impassioned about walking through them with my students. In this Source, "God, I Can't Feel You Anymore!," we navigate through causes and solutions for those times. An eye-opening Whitney Houston interview, a heart-wrenching Holocaust story, an honest excerpt from, Uncensored: Finding God When He Feels Far Away, and Jesus' own story, help students understand that when they feel God the least, they may be pleasing Him the most.
Lovingly,
We're all pretty desperate about getting our problems solved, but we want the solution without it costing us something. I think that's why we have so many half-hearted Christians these days. Why? Because when something ceases to cost you something big, it ceases to mean something big.
In this month's Source, "How bad do you want it?," my ground zero question is, "Does it take desperate times for you to pursue God desperately?" My heart behind this message is to inspire some of us to make the personal choice to passionately come after God no matter what our feeling level.
Fanning the flame,
