Why do I feel distant from God?
I have heard this question frequently… I’ve also asked myself this question many times over the years.
Let me just start by saying this: you would not have air in your lungs if it weren’t for the Creator of the Universe. And what could be closer to you than the very breath you breathe?
Here is an interesting thing to contemplate (I hope I can articulate it well for you): The ancient Hebrew term for God wasn’t even a “speakable” word… the Jews regarded it as too sacred to be pronounced. Scholars refer to it as the “Tetragrammaton” which means four letters: YHWH. It is assumed the correct pronunciation would be “YAH-way” (Roat, 2024).
But as I look at the letters, I am not surprised to observe that if I wanted to pronounce it without the vowels, only the 4 letters, it would only make sense to iterate the letters from my breath: Y-H-W-H. Like a whisper— speaking with air from my lungs rather than my voice. Pronouncing these letters does not require a reverberating vocal chord sound.
He. Is. Close.
If you know much about the anatomy of the body, you know the lungs are located within the rib cage of your chest. They are intimately connected with the heart. Without the lungs, the heart cannot survive. Without air coming into the lungs, the heart would not be able to pump oxygen to the rest of the body through the blood stream and the body would fail.
If you look at a picture of the chest cavity, the heart is nestled between the lungs…essentially hugging the heart as if to protect it.
It’s a powerful illustration when you think about the YHWH breath flowing through your lungs, hugging your heart, providing it with oxygen to give life to your body… with every inhale and exhale.
He. Is. Close.
The book of Exodus is where we see the first sign of the term YHWH when Moses has a powerful encounter with God at a burning bush (Exodus 3). God speaks to Moses and refers to Himself as YHWH. This is translated in our English Bibles as, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I AM’” (Ex. 3:14). (Roat, 2024). In the article I read by Alyssa Roat, she says, “This I AM is understood to be YHWH and could alternatively be translated as something along the lines of “He Who Is” or “He who brings being into being.””
Are you connecting the dots here the way I am connecting the dots? Air in my lungs— breath—YHWH— the I AM— He who brings being into being—LIFE into being— BREATH is LIFE. YHWH is LIFE.
YHWH. is. THAT. CLOSE.
God is with us. He is with you. He is your breath. Without Him there is no life.
The more I turn to Him and meditate on this, the more room I have in my heart for Him. The more I feel close to Him.
In personal reflection, the times I feel distant from God are times when I am overly distracted or times when I am allowing the push and pull of life to take precedence over my relationship with Him. Sometimes it’s emotions, sometimes it’s circumstances… whatever it is I tend to prioritize my attention towards.
I am sure you’ve noticed the difference in your breath when you are overwhelmed. If you have ever experienced anxiety or fear. Funny how anxiety from distractions of the world directly attacks your BREATH. We literally cannot breathe without His peace.
How I am able to combat the distractions:
- Intentional prayer time
- Read the Word, meditate on His words- the Bible
- Surround myself with like-minded people, seeking God and His Kingdom.
- Practice Gratitude
- Volunteer work
- Live a healthy lifestyle
- Get outside more often
- Creative Outlets
To be honest, I feel like I could do a lot better at focusing on these 8 principles. I just went through a period of time recently where I definitely felt distant from God, but it was all an illusion in my mind. Distractions of life— change, unusual routines, unpredictable situations, disappointing news, etc. I wasn’t reading the Bible everyday. My mind was wandering. This happens so easily. I forget to breathe.
The beautiful thing is- feeling close to Him is as simple as turning around and breathing Him in. He is so gracious to meet us where we are. Feeling close to Him can happen in an instant when we realign our thoughts by reading His words in Scripture, taking time to pray, or meditating on His works in creation. It’s a simple shift of the mind and heart, but it requires some discipline to be consistent.
If you get nothing else from this please hear me when I say— God will never reject you for coming to Him, even if you have messed up and you’re ashamed or guilty of doing wrong. He specifically says to turn away from our wrong doing and look to Him for healing, restoration and transformation.
Don’t wallow in self pity. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t let shame or guilt rule who you become. Don’t let others tell you you’re worthless. You were meant for more.
Breathe. He is close.
Remember: You are Loved.
Kristen Henderlong 
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