What If You Don’t Feel God?

Faith without goosebumps

Beloved Friend,

I was singing a hymn recently, one I had often sung in Yoruba but decided to flip to the English translation. A particular stanza struck me deeply:

Mase da Oluwa l’ejo

Sugbon gbeke re le

Gbati o ro pe O binu

Inu Re dun si o.

In English, it reads:

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

How often do we judge the Lord by our feelings? There are seasons in our walk where His presence overwhelms us, tears flow, hearts burn, our bodies quake, and we know without doubt that He is near. Yet there are other seasons where it feels quiet, ordinary, almost dry. And if we are not careful, we start to think His silence means His displeasure.

We often treat our relationship with God the way we treat human interactions. When energy shifts in a conversation, we sense it, and we carry that same instinct into prayer. If we don’t feel the “rush,” we conclude that maybe God has withdrawn. But the truth is this: God’s constancy is not tied to our chemistry. His presence is not a dopamine hit.

Think of Elijah’s mantle falling on Elisha. There was no earthquake in his chest, no tingling at his fingertips. Yet when he struck the Jordan, the waters parted. Joseph did not fall into a trance before interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, he simply declared, “It is God who gives Pharaoh the answer he desires” . When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood in the fire, there was no thunder or drama. Instead, the Son of God quietly joined them. Even Elijah himself once stood waiting for God, expecting Him in the fire, the wind, the earthquake. But the Lord was in none of those. Instead, He came in a gentle whisper.

God is not absent in the quiet. Sometimes He is teaching us to walk by faith, not by sight, not by trembling hands or rushing tears. The righteous live by faith, not by feelings.

So, beloved, when the shaking stops, press on. When your prayers feel like whispers bouncing off the wall (cause it will, sometimes), keep speaking them. When the song doesn’t bring tears, keep singing. When you don’t feel Him, remember that He promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. He is not one to hide from you; He is faithful even when your senses fail you. He won’t ghost you the way people do (I promise, I’m not projecting 😂).

Behind silence, He is still speaking. Behind the ordinary, He is still working. Trust Him for His grace, not your goosebumps.

With thoughts of kindness,

ABBA’s Shofar