First or Last?

Is God the first thing we turn to or the last? Is He an after thought once we've tried everything else or do we seek Him above all things? Our response reflects our true estimation of our abilities and the value we assign to God. 

I can admit that I've reacted to problems both ways. Sometimes I've stepped up to address a situation believing confidently in my own abilities and only looking for divine intervention when I'm unable to make it better. In other (frankly, more mature moments) I stop to ask God for guidance first and then continue to trust Him in the process. The interesting thing is that I have more peace when I start my process with God regardless of the outcome. I tend to react more calmly and with more confidence when God is my primary source of help.

In which direction do you turn when things get tough?

D & D

I've said many times before that we seek God out of desperation or devastation. One is a reflection of a deep, passionate desire for God that overwhelms us and drives us to seek Him above all other things. The other creates the same result, but stems from terrible circumstances that drive us back to Him. Disastrous life circumstances can certainly lead to desperation, but I would rather choose to seek Him on my own before those tumultuous periods of life occur. I've discovered that choosing to be desperate for God eases the times of devastation and increases my daily dependence on His strength.

Which one of these best describes your interaction with God? Are we normally inclined to relentlessly pursue Him out of our normal relationship or do we wait for difficulty to strike before we turn to the one true hope? Hopefully we'll learn to desire desperation for Him in every aspect of our life and not follow a pattern of ignoring Him until devastation strikes. 

Refining the List

Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock. I don't doubt that He will answer when we do those things, but I wonder if we really know what it is we are looking for. What do we want more than anything? It's best to be specific if we are going to make a request from the One who can provide all that we ask for. I would wager that we might be willing to change what we are asking for once we speak it out loud however. Perhaps that is part of the reason Jesus tells us to ask-so that we hear it & can refine our plea.

Hand to Face

Jesus fed thousands of people and then left the area overnight to minister elsewhere. When the people realized that He had moved on they followed Him. When they arrived and started to question His disappearance, He told them that they were not looking for actions of God, but were simply following Him because He had filled their stomachs.

It's easy to fall into this trap even today. The depth of our relationship with God becomes about what He can do for us instead of seeking intimacy with Him. It's the same as looking for the hand that has a gift for us and never looking up to see who it is from. Our relationship with Christ becomes transformed (as do all others in our life) when we focus on His face and seek out His character instead of just looking for a heavenly handout.

Assume the Position

When I worked in athletic training there was a phrase that we would hope we wouldn't have to use when dealing with injuries. It was something that we only said when it was a serious incident and one in which we suspected that damage had been done to the cervical spine of the athlete. It was simply, "assume the position." When given as a directive, it instructed the other athletic trainer to stabilize the head and neck so that no other potential damage could occur. It instantly put you on alert and had you waiting further instructions as the current situation was handled. It was not something that was used lightly, you took your responsibility very seriously and were ready to follow through on the best plan of action.

The "assume the position" phrase came to mind tonight in a slightly different light as we talked about the Biblical account of Samuel hearing from God. The idea was that we need to strategically position ourselves to be available to hear from Him. It requires humbling ourselves to his directives, being on alert for what He might have to say and taking this privilege and honor very seriously. It means eliminating distractions and other competing noises so that we can effectively hear from God and then do something with it.

It's not easy to do with the multiple layers of influence on us and with the noisy distractions we surround ourselves with. If we desire to eagerly and obediently fulfill our calling in Christ however, it's essential.