Failing to Notice God

We get so busy, so distracted in life. We see what is in front of us. It all looks so solid, so important. And in our minds, if we are not careful, we can forget the truth that God is, that God made us, and that we exist for him and his glory.

 

In my Bible reading plan, I had two separate passages point me to this truth. One was a psalm asking God to stop the wicked who oppress the helpless and poor. The other is the story of Jacob traveling to the home of Laban. Both passages show us people who should know that God is there, but who miss that fact.

 

 

Psalm 10:4

 

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;

all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

 

Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

 

The wicked brings himself to a place where he can say that he believes there is no God to call him to account. Jacob, on his part, got so busy with his life that he found himself surprised by the presence of the Lord.

 

Both passages call us to a simple place of remembering the Lord. We must slow down and look. WE must pause and think. We must remember eternity. We must seek and know the Lord.

 

If we fail to believe that God is, we will eventually have no basis for morality. If we fear no eternal consequences, nothing else will be strong enough to help us to turn ourselves from evil. If we focus only on this life, we will find that we miss the joys of the Lord and the purpose for our being.

 

How then can we remember the Lord? This is only done by spiritual discipline. Daily reading the word of God is crucial. Daily prayer is vital. Regularly speaking with the people of God about the things of God is part of the process. Sharing the gospel of Christ with those who do not know him is a must. And, of course, shaping our lives so that Sunday, gathering with the people of God for worship, is central to all that we are and do has to be of the highest priority. Without the word, prayer, believers, witness, and worship, we will forget the Lord. WE will start to live like this life is all there is. And in doing so, we will miss the good glories of God and we will turn toward that which dishonors him.