“I just don’t feel like God would act that way. That doesn’t seem like a loving God,” I told a family member of mine with heartfelt conviction. This was years ago, and we were debating predestination.

His answer: “What you feel about the situation doesn’t matter. Your feelings don’t matter. The truth is what matters.”

I will never forget those words. Because he was right.

In my mind, I was creating a God that I wanted to exist, based on an idea of who I thought God should be. But I don’t get to make up God based on my feelings. God exists as a powerful, all-knowing being who created the entire universe. The truth about who He is is clearly spelled out in His Word, the Bible. Much as I would like to, I don’t get to create the truth! God does that, because he IS truth! 

How many times do we base our beliefs on our feelings? Our flighty, finite, and ever-changing human feelings?

This became very important when I was grieving the loss of Lexi. I went through some terrible times when I was in some very dark places. There were moments – days –  when I didn’t feel like God was there anymore. I often felt like He had betrayed me and deserted me. My grieving emotions were all over the place, 

It became of utmost importance to turn to the Bible to sort things out. I had to keep constantly reading the truths found within its pages, contradicting and overturning the false emotions that were flooding my mind. Because God’s Word is clear that He is always with me (Matthew 28:20), that He will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5), and that nothing can separate me from His love (Romans 8:39). His love is so great that He was willing to die for me (Romans 5:8). Even if I didn’t feel it, He was always there and had never stopped loving me. The words of Scripture were like a beam of light, shining through the dark clouds of my doubt, revealing reality and reminding me of the truth.

This does not mean we should totally discount our feelings. God created us as emotional beings, and feelings can be a wonderful thing; they can connect us to other people or alert us that something is wrong. They can allow us to experience life to the fullest. But, wow, they can also really lead us astray. During my deep moments of grief, if I would have decided to trust my feelings, I would have continued to spiral down into a very negative and depressing place. I would be lost in a swirling cycle of pain, self-pity, despair, and hopelessness. 

Even this past week, I have felt my emotions flaring up about a certain issue. I had to step back, consider the facts, and examine my feelings in the light of Scripture. 

Are you in a situation today where you are letting your feelings or emotions dictate your thoughts and behavior, rather than looking to the truth? Our feelings can be as wild and crazy as the Kansas weather in the middle of January! Thankfully we have a place we can go that is solid and stable and will always set us straight!

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

Proverbs 30:5