Stories of the Invisible God

Lately, I've noticed that a lot of people in my faith community are telling (and being encouraged to tell) stories about God's very visible, active involvement in their lives: in connection with illnesses, addictions, financial problems, mission efforts, etc. I think that these are great stories, and I love to listen to them.

But these are not the only stories of spiritual "experience" that I want to hear. In my walk, I have certaily had my share of experiences where God's presence seemed very real and immediate, but I've also had experiences where God seemed distant and absent, where I wondered where he was or whether he really cared about what was happening at the moment.

Isn't it also appropriate to tell those stories? Doesn't scripture reflect both types of stories (even in the life of Jesus himself)? And, if we don't grow accustomed to openly speaking of our struggles during periods where God is "absent", doesn't one's ability to relate increasingly impressive, powerful stories about God's involvement in their lives become a tacit measure of spirituality? Doesn't it make those who are going through spiritual dry spells feel like something is wrong with them? Should the authenticity of a spiritual community be measured, in part, by how many stories of dryness, struggle, and absence people are willing to relate?

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