Striving or Resting? What Scripture Taught Me About God’s Nearness
There was a time when I believed that if I didn’t feel close to God, it must mean I wasn’t trying hard enough.
So I tried harder.
I prayed longer.
I worshiped more intensely.
I searched for emotional moments that would reassure me that He was near.
And when I didn’t feel anything, I quietly wondered:
Is God distant? Or am I failing?
Over time—through reading Scripture carefully, listening to faithful preachers, and leaning into fellowship—I began to see something that changed everything.
My striving wasn’t wrong because effort is bad.
It was wrong because I was striving for something Christ had already secured.
Was God Distant in the Old Testament?
When I first read the Old Testament, I sometimes felt that God seemed far away.
He appeared in fire and cloud.
His glory filled the tabernacle and later the temple.
Access to His presence was restricted. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year.
It can easily give the impression that God was distant—holy, powerful, but removed.
But as I continued reading, I began to understand something deeper. God was never absent from His people. He dwelled among them. He guided them. His Spirit came upon prophets, kings, and judges.
Yet His presence was mediated. It was covenant-bound. It pointed forward.
The Old Covenant revealed God’s holiness and humanity’s need for a mediator. It showed that access to a holy God could not be taken lightly. It prepared the way for something greater.
What Changed Through Christ
That “something greater” is Jesus.
Through His life, death, and resurrection, the barrier between humanity and God was removed. When Christ died, the temple veil was torn. Access was opened—not to a building, but to God Himself.
The prophets had spoken of this long before:
“I will put my Spirit within you.” (Ezekiel 36:27)
Under the New Covenant, God’s presence is no longer centered in a temple made of stone. It is not restricted to a priesthood. It is not temporary or selective in the same way.
It is personal.
Christians believe that when a person truly trusts in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within them. Not for a moment. Not for a season. But as a seal and guarantee.
God’s presence did not begin at Pentecost. But through Christ, it became internal in a new and covenantal way.
This is where my understanding shifted.
I was not striving to approach Sinai.
I was invited to rest in Christ.
Striving: What Does the Bible Actually Say?
At first, I worried that I was misunderstanding something. After all, Scripture does use the word strive.
Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”
Hebrews tells us to “strive for peace and holiness.”
Paul speaks of struggling and laboring with all God’s energy at work within him.
So effort clearly belongs in the Christian life.
But here is the distinction I had missed:
We do not strive to make God come near.
We strive because He already has.
There is striving for access.
And there is striving in response.
One is driven by fear and performance.
The other is fueled by grace and gratitude.
The Christian life is not passive. But it is not performance-based either.
Paul captures this balance beautifully: we work out our salvation because God is already at work within us.
That changed the posture of my heart.
Why We Still Sometimes Feel Distant
Even knowing these truths, there are still days when God feels far.
But I’ve learned to distinguish between presence and awareness.
God’s presence is constant.
My awareness of it fluctuates.
Stress, distraction, exhaustion, anxiety—these dull spiritual sensitivity. Unrealistic expectations of emotional experiences can also mislead us.
Sometimes we assume that if we do not feel something dramatic, nothing spiritual is happening.
But feelings are not the measure of truth.
Christ’s finished work is.
The Role of Fellowship in Understanding This
One of the most humbling lessons in my journey is that I cannot interpret Scripture alone.
Yes, the Holy Spirit teaches. But He often teaches through the body of Christ.
Listening to sermons.
Discussing passages with friends.
Hearing correction and encouragement.
Fellowship has clarified truths I might have misunderstood on my own.
Christianity is not an isolated pursuit of private spirituality. It is a shared life. We grow together. We sharpen one another. We are guided not only by personal reading but by the wisdom of the church across generations.
Through that fellowship, I began to see that my striving had been rooted in insecurity rather than identity.
Not Just Forgiven — Adopted
Perhaps the most important realization was this:
When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are not only forgiven. We are given a new identity.
We become children of God.
Scripture says that those who receive Christ are given “the right to become children of God.” That is not merely a legal pardon. It is adoption into a family.
And if we are truly His, we are secure in Him.
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice… I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
That promise steadied my heart.
If my salvation depends on my emotional consistency, I will always live in fear.
If my salvation rests in Christ’s finished work, then I can rest—even when I feel weak.
Some struggle with the example of Judas. But Scripture makes clear that Judas’ betrayal fulfilled what had been foretold. Jesus Himself said that not all who followed Him truly believed. His departure did not mean Jesus failed to hold him; it revealed that his heart had never fully trusted.
True saving faith is not perfect performance. It is genuine trust. And those who truly trust Christ are kept by Him.
This does not eliminate effort. It redefines it.
We do not strive for salvation.
We strive from salvation.
We pursue holiness not to become children of God, but because we already are.
We obey not to earn love, but because we have received it.
That shift—from earning to responding—brought deep peace.
Worship and Prayer: Response, Not Summoning
I used to think worship brought God near.
Now I understand: He is already near.
Worship is my response to His presence.
Prayer is communion with the Father who has already welcomed me.
Spiritual practices do not force God to move closer. They align my heart with the closeness already given through Christ.
They help me see what is already true.
From Striving to Resting
Today, I still pray.
I still read Scripture.
I still pursue holiness.
But I no longer do these things to earn access.
I do them because I already have access.
The difference is subtle, but it is everything.
The Christian life involves effort—but not effort to secure God’s love. That has already been secured in Christ.
If you are a believer struggling with feelings of distance, I encourage you: examine whether you are striving to gain what has already been given.
If you are not sure what you believe, consider this claim of Christianity: we do not climb our way to God. God came to us.
The presence we long for is not achieved through performance.
It is received through Christ.
Reflection
When you pray, worship, or read Scripture, are you striving to gain access to God—or resting in the access Christ has already given?
Feel free to share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment or rather . . . it may best be to keep it between you and God alone.
A Prayer
Father,
Thank You that Your nearness does not depend on my feelings.
Thank You that through Jesus Christ, I am not only forgiven but adopted as Your child.
Forgive me for the times I have tried to earn what You have already given.
Teach me to strive in response to Your grace, not in pursuit of Your approval.
When I feel distant, remind me of what is true.
When I am weak, strengthen me by Your Spirit.
When I forget who I am, anchor me again in my identity in Christ.
Help me rest in the security of Your promises and walk faithfully in the new life You have given.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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