God Is Always Present, Regardless of How You Feel

By Rick Warren

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21 NIV).

When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers so you’ll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.

God’s omnipresence and the manifestation of his presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is often a feeling. God is always present, even when you are unaware of him, and his presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion.

Yes, he wants you to sense his presence, but he’s more concerned that you trust him than that you feel him. We live by faith, not by sight or by our feelings.

The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything—his family, his business, his health, and all his possessions. And then, for 37 chapters, God said nothing!

How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears? You do what Job did: “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’” (Job 1:20-21 NIV).

Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to him. Unload every emotion that you’re feeling. Job did this when he said, “I can’t be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak” (Job 7:11 GNT).

He cried out when God seemed distant: “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (Job 29:4 NIV).

God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

Transformed Complete Audio Series

Get Transformed this year!

Do you want to experience a real transformation from the inside out? Then you have to spend time listening to God’s word. That’s why we compiled the Transformed Complete Audio collection.

These eight messages from Pastor Rick Warren are sure to help you draw closer to God so you can experience the abundant life he designed you to live.

You’ll hear messages including . . .

• Setting Personal Goals by Faith
• How to Get Closer to God
• From Stressed to Blessed
• Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind
• How to Deal With How You Feel
• Facing the Fears That Ruin Relationships
• Transforming How I See and Use Money
• Facing Giants in Life and Work

The complete Transformed audio series is our gift to thank you for your financial support of Daily Hope, so please request it when you give below.

This collection is perfect for your audio library or to share with a friend or family member.

Thank you for your generosity to help more people learn, love, and live God’s Word!

This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.