“God, where are you?” were the first words that came from my mouth. I laid on the floor, crying, pouring out the anguish inside.

I knew God was with me, but in the moment He felt absent. While I’d been drawing close to Him, His Presence was void.

Have you experienced this? You’re not alone. What do you do when your first thought is, “God, where are you?”

1. Believe God when you don’t feel His presence. It means putting Hebrews 11:1 to work when you don’t see what you hope for.  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we no not see.” It means telling yourself, in faith, what you know about His truth and His presence.

2. Give yourself time and space to sort out your emotions. Whatever situation is driving the “Where are you, God?” moment, you have emotions about it. Give yourself time and space to sort through your emotions before you speak or act on things you may regret later. This may be a few minutes as you pour out your emotions to God. It might be journaling or going for a walk to clear your thoughts. You may excuse yourself from family or events in your most emotional state so you can cry or be alone until the intensity of emotions subsides. This is self-care, and it’s important.

3. Praise God and declare His promises out loud. Words are powerful, both in our spirit and in the spiritual world. When we dwell on negative feelings and emotions, the enemy uses these to fuel faulty thinking. It drives an unhealthy and negative belief system. After you’ve let your feelings out, focus on the truth you know about God, His presence, and His promises. Use Scripture. Pray them back to God. Speak these truths and promises about the situation, declaring them in the spiritual realm. This does business with the enemy and puts Hebrews 11:1 into action:

“Lord, thank you for providing all of my needs, even though I don’t know how you’re going to do it.”

4. Continue praying without ceasing. The enemy wants you and I to feel discouraged. He loves to foster emotions of despair, discouragement, and sadness. When you feel these, go to prayer even more. Continue to pour out your petitions to God. This brings a peace of mind. It removes a position of defeat, which is where the enemy wants you.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petitions, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6

Now, pick yourself up, and walk these things out. That’s faith in action–having confidence in what you can’t see.

This is especially hard during the Holiday season–but this is the victory of the Cross! Because Jesus came, died, and rose again, we have victory over our emotions and have peace in hard situations.

So join me–I’m doing it right along side you.

(Also join us for the #30daysofreal campaign on Instagram and Facebook, posting real life that is beyond the picture perfect image. If you share a photo, tag me in it, and share #30daysofreal, your name will be entered in a drawing in January for a copy of my new book, Balance, Busyness, and Not Doing It All.