by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Trusting God When He Seems Distant

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“[Jesus] walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed.”
Luke 22:41 New Living Translation

I know that it seems odd that my Praying With The Eyes devotions have focused on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when we’re still in the Christmas season. (Merry Christmas!) It isn’t strange at all to think about Jesus in the Garden when we’re slogging our way through Christmas.

Christmas is one of the loneliest times of the year for many people. It’s a time when we remember a loved one who isn’t with us to fill our celebration with joy. We remember the joy of Christmases past when everything seemed simpler than it does today. For some of us, it’s a time when we feel like we’re a stone’s throw away from the people we love, close but not that close.

In his book, The Passion of the Cross, Ronald Rolheiser shares the story of a Christian man who was dying of cancer. Even though he was surrounded by people who loved him, people who held his hand, he felt that he was a stone’s throw away from everyone (p. 21). He felt lonely even when encircled by the people he loved.

When Jesus removed himself from his disciples about a stone’s throw, it was more than the physical distance you could chuck a rock. These men, who had traveled the way to the Garden with Jesus, had no clue what it felt like to be Jesus at that moment, wrestling with his will to have the cup removed and the Father’s will for him to be lifted up on the cross.

Even on the cross, Jesus felt a stone’s throw away from the Father, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34) The feeling of abandonment, of being distant from God and others, was a part of Jesus’ passion. It was the core suffering of his passion.

“Into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) Faith is the ability to trust God’s closeness even when he feels like he’s a stone’s throw away. The baby born for us is the guarantee that God is with us always, even to our dying breath.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado