One of the most difficult experiences in the Christian life is when you feel like God is absent or far away. Those who go through such experiences describe it as confusing, difficult, doubtful, depressing, etc. Those who are more experienced in the spiritual life call it the "dark night of the soul". It's a temporary experience that can result in either deeper faith or unbelief, even backsliding. Sooner or later, we will all experience this as part of God's pruning or cleansing of our character. Therefore, we must learn how to navigate a "dark night of the soul".

Whenever we place ourselves in a situation where we can encounter God's message, it's important to have the right expectations. Sometimes people don't expect anything, so they don't get anything out of the experience. Others expect wrongly, so they do not get what they expect. But with the right expectations, our encounter with God's message can be life-transforming.

Our ability to desire is basic to our humanity. God gave us this ability so that we will first desire Him and as a result find in Him the fulfillment of all our other desires. The apostle Paul said in Acts 17:26-27, "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." Unfortunately, our desires can also lead us away from God. Satan knows this. He uses our desires to deceive us so that we would be led astray.

When we are hurt physically, we know sooner or later we will be healed by God's grace. But when words hurt us, it seems to be a totally different experience. It's hard to recover from hurtful words. It affects us deeply in our hearts and we can't seem to get back to being normal again. The cruel words stay in our minds and they keep on repeating like a "last song syndrome."

We all struggle with doubts once in a while. We often feel guilty when that happens. But what if our doubts are actually stepping stones to deeper faith? The very nature of faith requires the presence of some kind of uncertainty. Our questions can lead to a deeper understanding. It can lead to more trust and hope as we step out in faith. But first, we must accept our doubts as legitimate expressions of our desire to believe.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we feel like running away. We want to quit and leave everything behind. Maybe there is too much pressure. Maybe you're having a hard time dealing with people. Whatever the reason, it's important to understand that running away is a choice, but it's not the only choice. We can run to the Lord instead.

Sooner or later, we will all experience sorrow. There's no need to feel guilty about it because it is only natural. But how we respond to sorrow is crucial. Many try to escape it by indulging in activities that can make them forget. Others self-correct themselves with all kinds of Scriptures so that they will not feel the pain. Some blame God and they become bitter toward Him. A better response is to find comfort in God through faith in Jesus.

When faced with evil, sometimes we don't know how to respond. Our first instinct is to be angry. We lash out against those who are doing evil. Sometimes it works; often, it doesn't. Usually, it worsens the situation because the evildoers will not give up. Others will leave, which is what the evildoers want since they can now be free to do what they want. Finally, some will freeze and do nothing. It will encourage the evildoers to continue. What can we do? Ask for God's intervention.

Sometimes we imagine that we have to be a great saint in order to have great faith. Perhaps this is a reason why we are timid when we pray. We cannot pray bold prayers because we think we don't have enough faith. But what does it mean to have great faith? We might be surprised to learn that great faith is not so far from all of us. We can all have great faith once we understand what it looks like.

God has allowed both weeds and wheat to grow side by side in the church. The weeds are those who come to know God but eventually they stop obeying Him and start living sinful lives. They still claim to be Christians but their lives do not conform to that reality. The wheat represents those who continue to be faithful to God in spite of the challenges. Christians who continue to love and obey God are bothered when they see other Christians who seem to be living sinful lives. They are further agitated when God doesn't seem to deal with such people. So, they ask the question, "Why?"