He’s There When I Need Him

During my freshman year of college I was trying to find some new friends. I worked at Meijer as a cashier and usually as a lead cashier. At least a month went by where I was hanging out with some of the baggers on Saturday nights. Some of the boyfriends broke up with their girlfriends near the end of that month. On night I got a call from one of the girls that had just broke up with her boyfriend. Her brother had just been in a bad accident, one of those types people are surprised you survive. She was upset but also thankful that her brother was okay. Her and her parents were going to go to church that Sunday. I asked her, what made this Sunday any different then last week? “We need to go to thank God for protecting my brother.” She said.

I’ve seen families go through hard times. Before the hard time comes the parents are absorbed in their own world. The children are doing whatever they can get away with. Sundays go by and no one goes to church. When tragedy, hard times, or divorce seems to be on the horizon most turn to God. How do we expect God to be happy with our one Sunday appearance, instead of a relationship?

In the beginning we have two ideas of how the earth began. One being evolution, even though with each passing year scientists uncover or discover new results that make evolution harder and harder to support. Then there is creation, God created everything and lastly creates man. In the garden of Eden God walks and talks with man. God becomes upset when man chooses not to follow Him.

In Exodus we see God deliver His people out of slavery. Moses goes up on top of a mountain to receive God’s plan for the tabernacle. When Moses comes down he finds the Israelites worshipping idols. God is jealous and only wants us to worship Him. If God wanted us to worship anything else He wouldn’t be God. By worshipping something else we are worshipping the created instead of the creator. Exodus 33:28 3.000 people die because they chose not to be on the Lord’s side.

Bench warmers and Sunday show-ups are not what God wants. Constantly in the bible we see God desiring to be with His people. This is a big reason why Jesus came to Earth. John Piper expounds on this in his book “Desiring God” and “The Pleasures of God.”
“You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you.” Exodus 34:14 NLT God is jealous about His relationship with us. In a some what familiar way there’s a man, James that is jealous about his relationship with me. James works hard to provide me with the things I need. While I was a child James held me in his hands and would hold me tightly. It was wonderful when he would be at my soccer games, band performances, or other things I did. Anytime James was at those things I tried a little harder. I paid more attention to the ball on the field and put my best effort to make sure, as the goalie, the ball did not go past. Every count I was on it, playing my best and hitting every position on the marching field. All that just so maybe I could hear James say, “I’m proud of you.” The thing I noticed was that playing my best was not what made James the proudest; it was the choices I made.

Before my senior year of high school, I began to wonder if I had ever invited Jesus to come into my heart. When I was 6 years old I repeated the prayer and was dunked under water, but now I was wondering if that decision was to please my parents or my personal choice. I made the choice to go forward again and pray the prayer from my heart this time, because I wanted to. A month later I was baptized again and that day I saw a tear in James’ eye, my father that is. Afterward my dad, James, came up and gave me the biggest hug ever. My dad is proud of me every time I choose to follow God’s will, and abandon what the world tells me.

Yes James, my dad, desires time with me, but more so he desires that I spend time with God. Since moving eight hours away from home it has made it difficult to spend time with my father, but he rejoices over my decision to obey God’s call for my life.

Just like my father, God cares about us. Just like my father thinks of me everyday, God thinks of us every minute of everyday. God is jealous because He cares, and wants a relationship, with us.