There are moments in our life when we may be far apart with God. God has not displaced us rather something has changed in our hearts. In James 4:8, it is written in the Bible; draw near to God and he will draw near to you. This demonstrates that God is ever willing to approach us but we should also make the efforts.
Among the factors that make us feel distant to God is the factor of sin or disobedience. Through sin, there is a wall between us and God. My heart gets cold when I am not living right or when I disregard the commands of God.
According to Isaiah 59:2, your sins have been a barrier between you and your God. This is not an actual physical separation but spiritual. It influences our emotions, our way of praying, and our thoughts.
The other cause is the absence of prayer. The linkage between our spirit and God is through prayer. When we make prayer weak, our relationship becomes weak as well. We at times forget to pray because of our daily activities.
It is at this point when we begin to feel empty. In the book of Luke 18: 1 Jesus said, men ought always to pray, and not to faint. The heart starts to spiritually fade away without prayer.
We also become too distant to God when we cease reading the Bible. The word of God is food to our soul. I get thirsty and disoriented when I do not feed myself with the word.
According to Psalm 119:105, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my way. In the absence of that lamp, there is darkness in the life and we are lost.
In other cases, it is also possible to feel that we are far away due to emotional battles. When we experience pain, disappointment and fear our hearts can close.
Nevertheless, even then, God is near. It states in Psalm 34:18, the Lord is near the brokenhearted. Even at times when we cannot experience God, He is close.
The other frequent cause is failure to practice fellowship with other believers. In the process of isolating ourselves we weaken the fire of the spirit. The fellowship makes us stronger, makes us grow, as well as makes us realize that we are not alone.
Finally, not being close to God is not the conclusion of everything. God is always calling us back. I can also feel His presence again whenever I come back to prayer, the word, worship, and obedience.
Just as the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) is constantly standing ready with welcoming arms, God is always available with never-closing arms.
God is but a single step of repentance and faith however distant you may be. We simply have to turn back to Him who is already waiting.