Talk Bible To Me

Have you ever been in a season when everything seems to be going wrong? During that time, it’s usually pretty natural to call out to God regularly. When I went through postpartum depression after having both of my kids, I felt like I was constantly praying, whether I was asking for God’s help or thanking him for getting me through. But when life settled down and depression didn’t consume my days, suddenly, life was good! All my needs were met! However, because of this, I slowly quit talking to God and acted like I no longer needed him. I knew I did, of course, but when there were no immediate trials, I had nothing to remind me of my need for a Savior. In fact, in times where things are going right, I will often attribute the success to myself or my circumstances! I say all of this because I have a feeling you’ve been there too. Chapter 10 of Hosea begins with showing how the Israelites’ prosperity had caused them to forget God. They didn’t see their need for him because they wanted for nothing. They even went so far as to build altars and pillars to false gods to give them the credit! As their wealth increased, their spiritual health decreased.  As a result, God would take away their kings to show them that they had no one worthy to rule them since they had deviated so far from God’s standards. So often, when we’re going through trials, our first question is to ask God why he’s letting it happen to us. And that’s valid; sometimes what we’re going through is truly awful and we just want answers. When God doesn’t give us those answers, it can feel like he’s turned his back on us. But James 1:2-3 says, “Count it all joy, brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” The definition for steadfastness is “the quality of being resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.” So our answer to the trials we’re going through is that God can use it to make us more firm and unwavering in our faith. Romans 5:3-5 shows us that steadfastness, or endurance, creates hope! And 2 Peter 1:3-9 points out that when we have this quality, it keeps us from falling into sin. Pretty incredible how that works, huh? And this is exactly what the Israelites were lacking. They didn’t possess steadfastness. They were lazy and entitled. So when things were good, their relationship with the Lord didn’t endure and they fell into sin. Then when God began to bring judgment on them, they were completely ignorant to their sin and wandered even further from him. God doesn’t just want your attention when you feel like you need something. He wants all of you, even when your life is going well—maybe especially when your life is going well! Just like any parent-child relationship, if a child only goes to mom or dad when they want something, it feels a lot less like love and a lot more like they just want you to be their benefactor. But when your kids come and snuggle up with you and tell you how much they love you in the middle of a day for no reason at all, well, there’s just nothing better. The best way to keep God at the center, even when your life is great, is to stay in the Word. Scripture reminds us that we need a Savior even on our best day, and it also helps us hear from the Holy Spirit so that we walk through our day doing what he wants instead of what we want. Now go out and be bold in what he has called you to do today, even if it’s simply sitting in his presence and thanking him for his love for you!