Ask A Pastor Ep 2: How Can I Really Know God Is Real… And Why Does He Feel So Distant?

April 8, 2026·24 min·2 clips

Pastor Todd tackles why God feels distant even when you believe, using David's own struggles from Psalm 10.

The episode is the second installment of the 'Ask a Pastor' series from Hope Church. Host Pastor Todd Barham opens by thanking listeners for their encouragement after the first episode. He introduces the central question: 'How can I know God is real and why does he feel so distant sometimes?' Todd frames doubt as a potential beginning for deeper faith, citing King David's similar feelings in Psalm 10. To address God's reality, he outlines four arguments. First, creation itself points to a creator, referencing Romans 1:20 and using the analogy of seeing wind's effects. Second, the universal moral law within humans suggests a moral lawgiver. Third, personal experience, illustrated by Todd's stories of his family and his church growing from 30 to over 600 people, shows God's work. Fourth, the historical reality of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection, supported by archaeology, anchors belief. Todd then shifts to the feeling of God's distance. He argues distance is often emotional, not actual, quoting Romans 8:38-39 on God's constant love. He compares it to seasons of busyness in his own marriage. He states feelings are unreliable guides in a feelings-driven culture and advises trusting God's revelation over emotion. He notes that relationship maturity, like in marriage, can change the feeling of closeness without diminishing the bond. Finally, he states that sin can create experiential distance by dulling awareness of God, referencing Isaiah 59:2. The episode concludes with five practical responses: anchor your day in truth, speak truth over your life, stay in God's word, choose faith over fear, and obey God in small things. Todd closes by inviting questions and sharing contact details.

As heard by us

A direct pastoral response to doubt, distance, and the call to keep seeking God.

This Ask a Pastor installment focuses on two questions: whether God is real and why he can still feel distant when belief remains. The host answers in a spoken pastoral style, using scripture and a marriage-and-kids example to keep the point concrete.

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Why you'd press play

When God feels distant, this episode starts with the question you are already carrying and answers it in a warm church voice.

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