Someone recently asked me, “What if I don’t feel close to God?” If you don’t feel close to God, don’t panic—you’re not alone. Countless believers have walked through dry seasons where God feels distant. The important thing to remember is that your relationship with God is based on truth, not feelings. Feelings fluctuate; truth does not. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, you are permanently His—fully accepted, eternally secure, and unconditionally loved (John 1:12; Rom 8:38–39; Eph 1:6). You may not feel close, but God has promised, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb 13:5). That’s not a mood—that’s a fact. Live by faith, not feelings.
Often, the sense of distance comes when we’ve neglected time in God’s Word, prayer, or fellowship with other believers. Sometimes it’s the result of unconfessed sin, which can break fellowship but never the relationship (1 John 1:6-9). Other times, it’s simply a trial of faith where God is teaching us to walk by faith, not by sight (or feeling) (2 Cor 5:7). In those times, the best thing you can do is lean into the truth of Scripture, keep walking by faith, and remind yourself of who God is and what He’s done. The psalmist cried, “Why are you in despair, O my soul?… Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him” (Psa 42:11). Don’t let feelings define your faith. Let God’s unchanging Word anchor your soul.
Dr. Steven R. Cook
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How could a perfect God create an imperfect being?
God, in His perfection, created beings—angels and humans—with volition: the genuine ability to choose (Josh 24:15; Isa 1:18–20). He didn’t create robots, but relational creatures capable of love, obedience, worship, and fellowship. For these to be real, freedom must be real. And where there is true freedom, there’s the possibility of failure. The imperfection, then, didn’t originate from God’s creative act, but from the creature’s misuse of the freedom God graciously granted (Gen 3:6; Ezek 28:15).
God did not err in creating beings with this capacity. He declared His creation “very good” (Gen 1:31). The potential for sin does not make a being evil—actual rebellion does. Adam and Eve were created innocent, not sinful, but they chose to sin. Their fall was not a flaw in the design but a tragic exercise of freedom within God’s perfect plan to eventually display His grace, mercy, justice, and love (Rom 5:8; Eph 1:5–6).
Ultimately, God’s perfection includes His ability to redeem. He allows imperfection temporarily so He can eternally glorify Himself through redemption in Christ (2 Cor 5:21; Eph 2:7). That’s not a design failure—it’s divine wisdom.