When Faith Doesn't Feel Better
Follows the message Jesus and What Lies Ahead
What do you do when you believe God is good, but life still feels empty and quiet? First, know that it's okay to feel what you feel. God's silence is not His absence. Quiet seasons are often when He's working beneath the surface. So acknowledge where you are, process it honestly, and don't stay there.
Key takeaways
- God's silence is not His absence; quiet seasons are often when He is working beneath the surface.
- Feeling sad is not a lack of faith, because God made you an emotional being and Jesus Himself wept.
- A scar tells two stories: you were hurt, and you were healed.
- Pastor Landon's counsel is to acknowledge where you are and process it honestly, but not to stay there.
Does God's silence mean He's absent?
No. God's silence is not His absence. It is often preparation. A recent Palm Sunday message at Calvary made that point. It stuck with Pastor Landon Sloan, Calvary's kids pastor, when he joined Beyond Sunday to talk about it.
Something often has to die before it's resurrected, or before it grows. Yet we tend to think God only shows up in the highlights: the celebrations, the answered prayers, the mountaintops. When you hit a valley, it's easy to assume He left.
Pastor Landon pointed out that most of us can look back five or ten years at a pit we were in. Now we can see that God was there the entire time. We just couldn't see it in the moment. Whether you're on a mountain or in a valley, God is above you and He's with you.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
What is a "Saturday season"?
A Saturday season is a stretch of life that feels quiet, empty, and in between. It is like the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Jesus had told His followers that resurrection was coming. That promise didn't cancel what they felt on Saturday. They grieved. They felt the loss. Pastor Landon believes there was an intentional reason for that space. God gives us emotions for a reason. What looked like dead time was really God at work.
Your own Saturdays can feel quiet, scarce, and empty too. God is still working underneath the surface. Healing happens under a wound before you can see it.
Is it a lack of faith to feel sad?
No. Feeling deeply is not the same as losing faith. God made you an emotional being, and Scripture gives room for grief.
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Ecclesiastes 3:4
Jesus Himself felt the full range of emotion. He wept at His friend's tomb. He felt holy anger. And He was without sin.
Jesus wept.
John 11:35
Pastor Landon is honest about this. He describes himself as a big guy who looks like a man's man and still cries at movies. He says that's a good thing. He also named something the church sometimes gets wrong, especially with younger generations. We tell people to just pray, heal, and move on. Sometimes you need to sit with something and process it.
Just don't lose sight of who God is while you feel it. In his words: "Process where you're at. Acknowledge where you're at. Just don't stay where you're at." God is not going to leave you, and He's not done with you.
What do scars say about God's healing?
A scar tells two stories: you were hurt, and you were healed. The weekend message described scars as proof that you were wounded but lived to tell about it.
Pastor Landon added an observation. When you see someone with a scar, your first thought is usually about what happened to them. You rarely think about the fact that it closed up. But a scar is not an open wound. You can't have the healing without the hurt, just as there's no resurrection without death.
He wonders whether it's intentional that healing leaves something behind. A scar doesn't minimize what you went through. It reminds you that God worked through it.
Is God only with you when life is hard?
No. God is also the God of celebration and joy. Jesus was honest that this world includes suffering, but that doesn't mean He wants you to suffer.
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
Pastor Landon put it this way. God isn't a fair-weather fan who only puts on the jersey after a championship. Many people only turn to God when times are bad. Stay close to Him when times are good, too. When life is good, remember why it's good. When life is hard, remember that good is coming.
That includes remembering where your blessings come from. As Deuteronomy 8:18 says, it is God who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Everything you have belongs to Him.
His summary is simple enough to carry with you. When life is great, look up. When life is bad, look up. Always be looking up.
If you're in a Saturday season
- Name honestly what you're feeling, and tell God about it in prayer.
- Look back at a hard season from years ago and write down where you now see God was present.
- Think of one scar in your story and thank God for the healing it represents.
- Talk with someone you trust instead of carrying this season alone.
- Ask yourself: am I processing where I am, or have I started to stay here?
Pray
God, this season feels quiet, and I don't always feel You near. Help me trust that Your silence is not Your absence. Give me the honesty to feel what I feel and the faith to keep looking up. I believe Sunday is coming. Amen.
Common questions
Is it a lack of faith to feel sad as a Christian?
No. God made us with emotions, and Scripture describes a time to mourn. Jesus wept and felt anger without sin. Feeling deeply is not the same as losing faith, as long as you keep turning toward God.
Why does God feel silent when I'm struggling?
God's silence is not His absence. Like the Saturday between the cross and the resurrection, quiet seasons can be times when God is working beneath the surface, even when you can't see it yet.
How do I keep going when faith doesn't make me feel better?
Acknowledge where you are, process it honestly, and keep looking to God. Don't stay stuck there. Remember that He is with you, He will not forsake you, and He is not finished with your story.
What does a scar teach about healing?
A scar points to both a wound and a healing. It reminds you of what God carried you through, the way Jesus' own story moves through death to resurrection.
Your next step
If you're in a hard season, you don't have to walk through it alone. Reach out to our care team at Calvary.