When 18-inches of snow fell overnight, my neighbor ecstatically pulled out his snowblower. He joyfully cleared the snow off the sidewalks of the entire block and in the alley between our houses, happily hurling light fluffy snow around to help his neighbors.
I mentioned to his wife how grateful I was. She responded that she was just glad the snowblower was getting some use, after tripping over it and moving it around the garage all summer. At other times of the year, the snowblower was just in the way, taking up space. “But it’s really helpful now!” she exclaimed.
I thought, “That’s kind of my approach to God.” And I’m guessing I’m not alone.
God just patiently waits to get called into action. However, we won’t make that call until there is some crisis or emergency. We don’t involve Him if we think we can handle the situation. If we’re honest, we won’t ask God for help except as a last resort, when we appear to be out of other options.
Then, when we feel like we’ve lost control, we tend to instinctively reach for The One who is in control. During times of trouble, God says, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV). He’s always there and ready to help, but we relegate Him to some dusty corner of our minds until we decide He could be really helpful to us.
But why wait until disaster strikes?
Paul implores the Thessalonians to stay in contact with God constantly, not just on an as-needed basis. “Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Amplified).
Crisis may force us to desperately seek God, but He actually wants us to bring our joys and concerns – our entire life – to Him. All. The. Time. Not just occasionally. Continuously.
And if we lived in that unceasing, persistent and thankful connection to God, how positively would our relationship with Him change? How helpful would He be every day, and how clear would He make our paths?
What do you need to change to stay in continuous contact with God?