Spiritual Flatness

An discussion of drifing away from God, and a reading of three poems.

Featuring readings of Spiritual Flatness from Be Refreshed, Doubt from Meet My Friend, and the titular He Is There!.

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This podcast is called Spiritual Flatness. If you’re feeling spiritual flatness at times, do not despair. For years of being a Christian, or even just a few weeks as a new Christian, you’re not the only one to have experiences or feelings of spiritual flatness, or even to doubt your faith.

You may have been reading your Bible regularly and praying to the Lord, but now you may find you’re not doing these things. You’re not doing these things so often as you used to. You might be making excuses to yourself. Example: ‘oh you’re too busy’, or ‘you’re tired’, or you ‘just can’t be bothered’.

Satan is always looking to attack Christians and to put thoughts of unbelief or inertia in their mind. Whatever your doubts may be, even if you’re feeling like walking away from God, he’ll never walk away from you. He’s always there waiting for you to return to him.

Open your fears and feelings to Jesus in prayer. Ask him to show you the way back to him. It may not happen immediately. You may still falter, but God will never close the door on you. God will be waiting patiently for you to return. As your faith returns, you will experience joy as you trust once again in the love, mercy and grace of Jesus.

So this poem I’m going to read now is called Spiritual Flatness, and it’s taken from Galatians chapter 1 verse 6, where it says: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ…

Sometimes a spiritual flatness
Just seems to overtake me,
I fight these inner shackles
As I strive to be set free.

Feel like ranting and raving,
I wonder what I should do,
My faith is being tested,
There’s only flatness in view.

I wander round in circles,
I cry out to God at night,
Please fill my heart Lord Jesus
And make everything alright.

Where is the Holy Spirit?
In my soul I cannot feel,
Is this the work of Satan,
Robbing me of fire and zeal?

Oh no! That cannot happen,
I fall on my knees to ask
Jesus to take the darkness
So in His light I may bask.

It’s then a miracle happens,
And calmness envelopes me,
As Christ touches me lightly
And reopens my eyes to see

That never did He leave me,
Just sat by my side to wait,
‘Til he saw me on the road
Heading for His open gate.

With arms of love wide open,
I run into His warm embrace,
And thank Him with all my heart
For His great mercy and grace.

In the chapter of Jude, verses 21 to 22, it tells us to keep ourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful, said Jude, be merciful to those who doubt.

This next poem is taken from Matthew 14, verse 31, and it says: “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”.

Come to me, my life to touch,
Let my heart feel you near,
When I am racked with pain and doubt,
Let me know I need not fear.

May I not doubt your presence,
When proof of you abounds,
I just need to see creation,
In your wonders all around.

I look at little babies,
Just following their birth,
And I do see a miracle,
As they’re welcomed to this earth.

If doubt encroaches my soul,
I read your Holy Book,
It tells me of your love and grace,
As my eyes open to look.

Jesus, keep my eyes focused,
On the pathway that is true,
Take away all my fears and doubts,
Let me serve and follow you.

How can I doubt my Saviour,
Oh Lord please me forgive,
God let me serve you faithfully,
For as long as I shall live.

Yes, when I see your wonders,
I really can’t conceive,
How I could ever doubt the truth,
For I surely do believe.

Throughout my life, I’ve always been aware of God’s goodness and love. I’ve always known of his presence in my life through good times and bad.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t rebelled against him at times. For years, I believed I could do without my Savior, but that’s not an easy thing to do. I’ve come to realize that God doesn’t let you go and is always there to welcome you back to his arms of love and forgiveness, if we just repent and truly ask.

Following a long illness, I knew God was with me, and as I recovered by God’s grace, I returned to church and thanked Jesus for being there for me and waiting for my return. It was shortly following my repentance and forgiveness that I wrote my first spiritual poem, and it goes like this. I’ve called it, He Is There.

Comes from Matthew, chapter 14, verse 31, that says: Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”.

Many times along life’s way,
I’ve walked from God, I’ve gone astray,
I’ve told myself that I don’t need
The help of the Lord in the life that I lead.

I’ve tried to deny Him, to say I don’t care,
To say I don’t need God my life to share,
I’ve said I can carry on in the way that I live,
God doesn’t need me, I’ve nothing to give.

But deep in my heart I know that’s not so,
And my God, He will not let me go.
Just when I think that I’m doing alright,
I become aware of His love and His might.

And when life gets just too hard to bear,
I turn to God to answer my prayer;
He’s always there whenever I call
To pick me up when I stumble and fall.

But when my life is going on well,
I often forget the good things to tell,
And to thank Him for all in the world that is good,
For my family and friends, as I know that I should.

It’s hard to believe but I know that it’s true,
That God loves me and will help me through,
I’ll never be perfect, or free from sin,
But with God’s help the battle I’ll win.

And as I awake to face the new day
I’ll ask God for guidance as I go on my way.
So thank you dear Lord for all that you do,
I really will try to be worthy of you.