Quite a provocative title there? Usually when talking about God, we tend to stress about inviting God to be a larger presence in our hearts. Here I am saying making God smaller. Am I saying that God is too big? No, not at all. (Actually He's so much more bigger than any of us can comprehend)
What am I saying here? What I am saying and is something I am guilty of at times is only turning to God for the big events of my life or into situations that are beyond my expertise. Medical emergencies, earthly disasters, deaths of loved ones, needing my house to sell, changes in my career - these are situations that I have no problem placing at the throne of God. He can handle this, I cannot. I know this because I neither have the expertise or power to make a change to these situations. I readily express my inability to solve these issues. It's easy to turn these over to God.
I am not saying that we shouldn't come to God in these scenarios. As a matter of fact, I would highly recommend it. But, God wants to be so much more involved in our lives than just being an insurance policy in times of strife.
When I say to make God smaller, I am saying we need to invite him more into our daily lives, into each aspect of our day. There's a tendency for me ( maybe you have this as well) for me not to pray to God on things I have a "handle" on. This is because I feel like because my own actions can have an impact, it's not as important to come to God. Do I invite Him into my friendships? Do I seek His protection on my drive to work? Do I seek His wisdom when it comes to my family's finances? There are other situations, but most of the time I don't give God a thought on these. Why?
Because I feel I am in "control" in these situations. I know how to drive, I'm an accountant, I know how to be a friend - my actions and expertise help me out here. I come to rely on my own abilities. Also, they're kind of small and unimportant, beneath the notice of God or a waste of His time for me to ask. I have some pretty good excuses.
How well does that work out for me? Not easily without His help. We spend more than we budget, the drive to work can be called frustrating, and relationships can become strained. It builds up stress and gives the enemy wiggle room to do more damage. If we begin to doubt God's sovereignty in the small things, how easy will it be to begin to doubt God in really "big" situations? For me , God becomes forgotten in the small moments. I can "control" my relationships by my own actions and words. I can "control" my job since I have the requisite skill set to be an accountant. It's an easy trap to fall into.
It's easy for me in a health emergency to pray and pray feverishly. I'm no doctor, I don't understand medical jargon - I have no ability to impact this situation with my skills. I can't make my house sell faster because I can't "control" the bank to move faster on the short sale process. Here, I have to rely on God's grace to move these events because my abilities surely cannot.
This is not saying we should sit on our hands and not do anything. God gives us many gifts to use to glorify Him. I don't just pray to God to do my spreadsheets and journal entries while at work. But, I can ask Him to help me keep my mind on Him, and glorify Him with my work. The issue is not to put our faith in our own abilities and ignore God. I am amazed by the grace of God, that he sometimes allows me to run by my own strength at times - sometimes I learn my lesson and sometimes I don't. God is gracious and helps me to work through these times - He never lets me down.
I am always impressed with the younger children of our church when we pray. They pray for everything!!!! No matter how big or small, they will pray for it. They pray for their boo-boos, their pets, video games, their sports, among other things. They don't question how "big" or "small" their petition is, they bring it to God. I have also noticed how they move on once they pray. They never bring up or remember if God answered their prayers differently than they expected. I don't recall moments of them talking about how God "failed" them or didn't answer. They lift up their prayer, confident it's been heard and answered. They come back each week with more prayer requests, never saying "why should I, He didn't answer the last time". We could do well with that same attitude.
Maybe what I am saying is that God is not to be made smaller. But that we need to be more welcoming of God into our "smaller" places. The concerns of our heart that we just take for granted as part of our lives. God thinks they are important, that's good enough for me. God wants our entire lives, not just parts of them. We just need to give it all to Him.
Let's not our standards of "big" and "small" get in the way. Let's not rely on our own strength to get us through. Let's not think any aspect of our life is trivial in God's sight or beneath His notice. Do not be afraid to seek God's guidance for every situation. I am learning this every day, sometimes I remember, sometimes I fail - but the grace of God is sufficient. That's an encouraging statement to know and I hope it encourages you as well.
What am I saying here? What I am saying and is something I am guilty of at times is only turning to God for the big events of my life or into situations that are beyond my expertise. Medical emergencies, earthly disasters, deaths of loved ones, needing my house to sell, changes in my career - these are situations that I have no problem placing at the throne of God. He can handle this, I cannot. I know this because I neither have the expertise or power to make a change to these situations. I readily express my inability to solve these issues. It's easy to turn these over to God.
I am not saying that we shouldn't come to God in these scenarios. As a matter of fact, I would highly recommend it. But, God wants to be so much more involved in our lives than just being an insurance policy in times of strife.
When I say to make God smaller, I am saying we need to invite him more into our daily lives, into each aspect of our day. There's a tendency for me ( maybe you have this as well) for me not to pray to God on things I have a "handle" on. This is because I feel like because my own actions can have an impact, it's not as important to come to God. Do I invite Him into my friendships? Do I seek His protection on my drive to work? Do I seek His wisdom when it comes to my family's finances? There are other situations, but most of the time I don't give God a thought on these. Why?
Because I feel I am in "control" in these situations. I know how to drive, I'm an accountant, I know how to be a friend - my actions and expertise help me out here. I come to rely on my own abilities. Also, they're kind of small and unimportant, beneath the notice of God or a waste of His time for me to ask. I have some pretty good excuses.
How well does that work out for me? Not easily without His help. We spend more than we budget, the drive to work can be called frustrating, and relationships can become strained. It builds up stress and gives the enemy wiggle room to do more damage. If we begin to doubt God's sovereignty in the small things, how easy will it be to begin to doubt God in really "big" situations? For me , God becomes forgotten in the small moments. I can "control" my relationships by my own actions and words. I can "control" my job since I have the requisite skill set to be an accountant. It's an easy trap to fall into.
It's easy for me in a health emergency to pray and pray feverishly. I'm no doctor, I don't understand medical jargon - I have no ability to impact this situation with my skills. I can't make my house sell faster because I can't "control" the bank to move faster on the short sale process. Here, I have to rely on God's grace to move these events because my abilities surely cannot.
This is not saying we should sit on our hands and not do anything. God gives us many gifts to use to glorify Him. I don't just pray to God to do my spreadsheets and journal entries while at work. But, I can ask Him to help me keep my mind on Him, and glorify Him with my work. The issue is not to put our faith in our own abilities and ignore God. I am amazed by the grace of God, that he sometimes allows me to run by my own strength at times - sometimes I learn my lesson and sometimes I don't. God is gracious and helps me to work through these times - He never lets me down.
I am always impressed with the younger children of our church when we pray. They pray for everything!!!! No matter how big or small, they will pray for it. They pray for their boo-boos, their pets, video games, their sports, among other things. They don't question how "big" or "small" their petition is, they bring it to God. I have also noticed how they move on once they pray. They never bring up or remember if God answered their prayers differently than they expected. I don't recall moments of them talking about how God "failed" them or didn't answer. They lift up their prayer, confident it's been heard and answered. They come back each week with more prayer requests, never saying "why should I, He didn't answer the last time". We could do well with that same attitude.
Maybe what I am saying is that God is not to be made smaller. But that we need to be more welcoming of God into our "smaller" places. The concerns of our heart that we just take for granted as part of our lives. God thinks they are important, that's good enough for me. God wants our entire lives, not just parts of them. We just need to give it all to Him.
Let's not our standards of "big" and "small" get in the way. Let's not rely on our own strength to get us through. Let's not think any aspect of our life is trivial in God's sight or beneath His notice. Do not be afraid to seek God's guidance for every situation. I am learning this every day, sometimes I remember, sometimes I fail - but the grace of God is sufficient. That's an encouraging statement to know and I hope it encourages you as well.
Comments
Post a Comment