Seeking God or Chasing the Feeling?
When we are hungry to experience God’s loving presence near us and believe we are searching for God, it is important to ask ourselves whether we are seeking God or pursuing spiritual experience.
We do get lonesome for God and can feel isolated and confused. But sometimes our search is not as much for God it is for spiritual adventure.
Perhaps we are bored. We might like to see ourselves as important spiritual persons and think a particular kind of spiritual experience is one of the criteria necessary for others to view us in this way.
Perhaps we would like God to heal someone through our prayer or bring about instantaneous major life changes in us or in someone else with whom we have been praying more as a kind of witness to our supposed godliness than as an overflowing of God’s compassion.
—Jeannette A. Bakke, Holy Invitations
It’s easy to confuse a longing for God with a hunger for spiritual experience. Jeannette Bakke gently challenges us to ask: Am I truly seeking God—or just the feeling of closeness, the thrill of breakthrough, or the affirmation that comes with being “spiritual”? In seasons of loneliness or confusion, our desire for connection can turn into a pursuit of signs and wonders rather than the quiet, steady presence of God Himself.
This is especially relevant in recovery, where we crave change—sometimes desperately. But true spiritual growth isn’t measured by dramatic moments or quick fixes. It’s found in surrender, honesty, and love that doesn’t need to perform. God isn’t asking us to prove our spirituality—He’s inviting us to draw near, even when we don’t feel fireworks. Healing comes not through chasing experiences, but through resting in the One who already knows and loves us as we are. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics