In this article, we will discuss what it means when God removes people from your life and how to deal with that in a healthy way. So, grab your Bible, and let’s learn…
It can be very difficult when God removes someone from our lives. I know I have been there with this with friends, family members, leaders, and more. But it is always important to remember that the Lord always has the best in mind for us and only leads us in truth. There is no confusion in God.
When God removes someone from our lives, the process can be challenging, but there are always ways to get through it and grow in the process.
Depending on how God removes someone form your life it can be a very painful experience. But it is always important to remember the faithfulness of God and to trust Him in these seasons, even when the pain is deep.
Let’s explore some of the best ways to move on and grow in your relationship with God when He removes people from your life, understand why He does this, and identify some practical steps that can make the process easier.
Why Does God Remove Someone From Your Life?
The reason why God removes someone may not always be clear at first. But their is a always a reason, and it is critical to always trust the Lord in these situations, knowing that He only has good things for you.
But you also must be ok with the fact that you may not ever understand that reason, or sometimes the reason is revealed years later on.
Many believers find themselves constantly wondering why God may remove a person from their life, especially when the person seems to be good, and the relationship has been strong.
The reality is that not everything that God does in our lives is easy to understand, and sometimes we must seek the answers to these things ourselves.
With that said, there are several reasons why God may remove a person from your life.
God Sees The Heart
1 Samuel 16:7 says that God does not look at a person’s outward appearance, but He looks at their heart. God never regards a person for the way they appear to be, the way they act, the way they look, or even they act, but He looks at the heart of the person and sees who they are.
This means that when God removes a person from your life, trust that He can see the heart of that person and knows them better than you do. The person may have appeared good outwardly, but they may have hidden things or agenda in their heart that God is protecting them from.
In this instance, God is protecting you from further hurt and pain by removing them from your life before the relationship goes too far or too deep. This could be true with friends and significant others.
God Sees What We Can’t
Another good Scripture to look at in this instance is Isaiah 55:8-9. This passage says that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; His ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts are higher than ours.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts higher than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP
This means that when God removes someone from your life, it is important to realize that He can see much further and knows much more than you do, and even though the split may hurt now, the Lord knows better and has removed that person from your life for a reason.
This doesn’t mean the reason was it was bad, but that God is calling that person to something else or calling you to something else and that this relationship was only meant for a season.
They Are Causing Damage
Other reasons why God may remove a person from your life are simply because it’s a bad relationship.
They are hurting you; they may not be good for you; they are building bad habits, unhealthy beliefs about yourself or God, characteristics in your such as gossip or slander, and/or even because they are coming between you and God.
Your relationship with God is very important to Him, and He will protect it, as He wants to be first in your life. He wants all of you and your life, not only a portion.
There have been many instances where believers are drawn away from a person by the Lord so that they can grow in greater intimacy and relationship with Him.
I had this happen to me in my 20s with a friend that I was super close with. I noticed that when I hung out with her, that affected my walk with the Lord. Even though she was a believer as well, our conversations were not edifying toward God.
I prayed about it for a while, asking God if this was a good friendship or not. I asked Him if it was not, we would naturally grow apart. And within a month or two, my friend started to drift away from me and started hanging out with other people.
Since I was praying about it I took it with grace, understanding that God was at work in both of our hearts.
Sometimes God removes people or a person from our lives because He wants to get closer to us, and some people can be damaging or detrimental to our relationship with the Father.
Whatever the reason why the Lord removed a person from your life, you must always remember that He has plans for you, to prosper you, not to harm you, and to give you a future and hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
I know this can be hard to swallow when you have a close friendship with someone or you are in an intimate relationship with someone like a boyfriend or girlfriend. God removed a young man I was dating who I had strong feelings for, and that was devastating for me. But years later, I can now see how unhealthy of a relationship it was and that God was protecting me.
How To Move On When God Removes People From Your Life
Moving on when God removes someone from your life can feel impossible, but the reality is that if God has removed the person from your life, it is usually better, and it is important to learn how to move forward in the Lord.
When God removes a person from your life, there are always reasons, even if they are unknown to us. Here are some of the best ways to move on when facing this difficult circumstance.
But before we continue, I do want to make a note that if someone has passed away and you are grieving, it is a much different process than a close friend not being part of your life anymore.
The death of a loved one can be extremely hard; I knew this firsthand when losing my dad and my mom lost her husband of over 50+ years. It’s a slow process, but you find comfort in the Lord as you know one day you will see them again.
Lean On The Lord And Find Comfort In Scripture
There are excellent Scriptures to lean on to help you move on when God removes a person from your life.
For example, Philippians 3:13-16 says:
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.”
These Scriptures, among others, show us that it is important to move forward in what God has called us to do and to live in a relationship with Him.
To the degree that we have attained, we walk forward, growing further in God and trusting in Him in everything.
This provides greats great comfort during heartbreak. The Bible teaches us that God is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), and we can always take surety in this.
I also encourage you that as you meditate on these types of verses, ask the Lord to bring His presence.
Gather With Believers And Family
Another excellent way to move on when God removes a person from your life is to press into family, friends, and close believers. God designed us to closely rely on one another and to live closely with one another, providing comfort and strength to those who need it.
When a person leaves your life, press into the people that God wants you to be with, and you will quickly find that your heart is healed in the fellowship of the saints and in the community.
I know when I faced a breakup, spending time with friends and family was a huge blessing in my healing process.
The one thing you don’t want to do is go into isolation and stay away of people. You will be setting yourself up for disaster. Isolation will make your wounds fester and give the enemy a foothold to bring in lies. Stick with people who love and support you, get grounded in the Word, and pray!
Focus On Your Relationship With God
When God removes a person from our lives, it can be because He wants us to be more focused on Him and not allow unfruitful relationships to be detrimental to our relationship with Him.
Among the best ways to move on when God removes someone from your life is to press into Him. Ask Him why He removed that person, learn, hear His voice, meditate on His Word, and build a relationship with Him. Get into His presence!
All the answers you need will become clear in Him, and you will grow closer to Him through this difficult situation, leaving you stronger than ever before.
God removes people from our lives for various reasons, but remember that there is always a reason, and God does not do anything to harm us or lead us away from Him.
Always lean on God for these answers, and during these times, you will quickly find that God has a good will and outcome in mind by removing the person, and you are sure to grow deeper in communion and relationship with Him through this experience.
And I pray that this season will be fruitful for you despite what you are facing right now.
Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. She also enjoys family, cooking, and reading.
She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. Read More…