When God Feels Far
Verses for the dry and distant seasons
There are seasons when prayer feels like talking into an empty room. The saints called it the dark night; the Psalms simply call it "How long, O Lord?"
Every passage here was written by someone who felt the silence. They are proof that honest complaint is a form of faith, and that God does not forget.
Readings
11 passages · Douay-Rheims
Psalm 13:1-2
“How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me unto the end? How long dost thou turn away thy face from me? How long shall I take counsels in my soul, sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall m…”
Psalm 22:1-2
“O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? far from my salvation are the words of my sins. O my God, I shall cry by day, and thou wilt not hear: and by night, and it shall not be…”
Psalm 42:11
“Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.”
Psalm 142:4
“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was none that would know me. Flight hath failed me: and there is none that seeketh my soul.”
1 Kings 19:4
“And he went into the wilderness, a day's journey, and came to a certain tree, and sat under it: and he desired for his soul that he might die, and said: It is enough for me, Lord, take away…”
Isaiah 49:15-16
“Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee in my hands: thy walls are alwa…”
Isaiah 50:10
“Who is there among you that feareth the Lord, that heareth the voice of his servant, that hath walked in darkness, and hath no light? Let him hope in the name of the Lord, and lean upon his…”
Lamentations 3:22-23
“The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
“And the Lord who is your leader, he himself will be with thee: he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
Habakkuk 3:17-18
“For the fig tree shall not blossom: and there shall be no spring in the vines. The labour of the olive tree shall fail: and the fields shall yield no food: the flock shall be cut off from th…”
Romans 8:38-39
“For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shal…”