When You Don't Feel

Scrolling through some old podcasts, I found some from 2023 with Brant Hansen on Family Life Today. He made the comment that our culture places far too much emphasis on feelings, and noted that if there is no absolute truth, then all you have left are feelings. The unwritten rule is “If it feels good, do it!” Even in the church we can go astray when we place more emphasis on our “experience” of God and faith than we do our beliefs. As Paul said in Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” The Bible never says, “If you feel saved” or “You should feel God’s love for you.” If we imply that the assurance of salvation is something we must feel, then a whole lot of people have reason to question their faith.

In that set of podcasts, Brant and host Dave Wilson both share that they don’t seem to experience their faith the way some other people do. I’d say I’m probably pretty similar to them. I usually don’t feel anything in particular in times of worship, Bible study, or prayer (unless I happen to be in a time of deeper depression that makes me teary). Sometimes I will get choked up when someone shares a testimony, though that’s rare. And the only couple times I know God has spoken to me were when I knew I had to do something I didn’t want to do, like repent! So if I were depending on my experiences to define my faith, I’d definitely feel like I was missing something.

Some people are more reactive to certain stimuli, and they may regularly find church to be a very moving experience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their faith is stronger. Some people can be manipulated by the style of music, but they may or may not have a good knowledge of the Bible or what it means to trust God.

Feelings are not always based on facts, and can change with time or circumstances. When feelings diminish or are missing altogether, faith must say “I know this to be true whether I feel it or not.” That is reflected in many of the people listed in Hebrews 11. They obeyed by faith even when they didn’t understand all the details or sense immediate rewards for their actions.

It is repeated several times in Scripture that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (e.g. Rom. 4). It is belief that matters, not “feel good” experiences. How many people go to the altar repeatedly because they no longer feel saved? And how many others are relying on some experience they had in the past even though their lives give no evidence of obedience to Christ?

I’m reminded of a chorus that became popular in the 1970s that never made much sense to me, “Sure the presence of the Lord is in this place, I can feel His might power and His grace…” Maybe some people do have that experience in worship, but not me. I don’t think we should presume something is normative when Scripture doesn’t make it so. There weren’t a lot of people in the Bible who had direct experiences of God’s presence, and those who did usually ended up bowing down in fear (e.g. Ex. 3:5-6; Is. 6:5; Acts 9:4).

If we always felt God’s love, we wouldn’t worry so much about whether other people love us or approve of us. If we always sensed God’s presence, we wouldn’t really need faith. And if such experiences were universal, our churches would be full because no one would have reason to doubt. But since we can’t rely on our feelings and senses to “prove” God’s existence, we have to decide if we’re going to trust that what the Bible says is true and keep walking by faith.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen [or experienced]” (11:1).

© 2025 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

One in Christ

I spent last week at the Appalachian regional family camp for my denomination, which I’ve been attending for a dozen years or so. I was struck by how this particular camp reflected what the body of Christ is supposed to be. Aside from the usual hugs and laughter, we united in prayer for a couple people facing serious medical issues and others who have lost loved ones. There was a lot of encouragement, remembering, worship, and pointing one another to the truths of Scripture and who God is. The week ended with the regional delegate meeting where there was the potential for divisiveness, but that was averted through a lot of prayer and remembering that we are in this work together.

Whether it is among denominations, regions, churches, or our individual lives, we can be quick to forget that we are one body. We often feel isolated, and we think we have to take matters into our own hands to get anything done. In Ephesians 4, Paul is emphatic:

“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body… [gifted by God] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith…” (1-4, 12-13).

When we truly believe that we are one in Christ, we are more likely to pursue His will through prayer, rather than setting our own agendas. We will be more concerned to “look not only to [our] own interest, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 24). We can seek to understand where others are coming from, rather than making assumptions.

On the individual level, being part of the body of Christ is a reminder that we are not meant to live in isolation or to keep all our problems and worries secret. Henri Nouwen wrote in The Inner Voice of Love:

“Your journey is made not just for yourself but for all who belong to the body… The journey you are choosing is Jesus’ journey, and whether or not you are fully aware of it, you are also asking your brothers and sisters to follow you… Your choices also call your friends to make new choices” (50).

As members of one body, we come together to share our heartaches, joys, struggles, and join in the work set before us all. We encourage one another (1 Thess. 4:18), pray for one another (James 5:16), equip one another (Eph. 4:12), and spur one another on to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). Family camp happens to be a good example of extended quality time together, but these things should also be occurring on a regular basis through local churches and small groups. We were never meant to go through this life alone.

“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor. 12:26-27).

© 2025 Dawn Rutan text and photo from AACA campground in 2020. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.