“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.”
– Isaiah 59:1-2
God is always present and He always hears the prayers of His people. Nonetheless, many believers go through seasons when God feels distant and it seems like prayers are simply bouncing off the ceiling. There can be many reasons for this, often quite important, including the long-term strengthening and refining of our faith.
Nonetheless, when God seems distant, we must examine ourselves, our hearts, our words, and our actions. Is there some sin in our lives that we need to recognize as sin, utterly reject, and confess to the Lord? Is there some failure to obey the clear will and direction of God? Is there something we won’t let go of that God’s Word commands us to let go of? Is there something God told us to do that we’ve been afraid or reluctant to do? All of that is rebellion against God. It’s sin and God is quite clear that He won’t honor our prayers when we have unconfessed sin separating us from Him.
When it seems that we’re in the spiritual desert, we must spend time reflecting on whether we’ve entered it by our own choice! Sometimes that’s obvious, but sometimes we’re profoundly blind to our own sins. Pray for God to reveal them to you – that’s a prayer He’ll answer readily. If sin is revealed, then repent and trust that in Christ, God is always ready to forgive you and embrace you warmly when you turn to Him and ask His forgiveness!