“God, I need this!” You’ve heard that one before –you’ve probably even said it.
You have probably also been warned against relying on God as if He is a giant vending machine. That’s a fair point. God doesn’t exist at the whim of your happiness, and His will does not revolve around giving you what you want.
So you try not to remember God only when you feel desperate and needy.
But have you gone too far?
It’s just as easy to make God into a “fair-weather friend.”
I know I’ve done it. Rather than calling on the Lord as my refuge and my strength in times of need, I’ve pretended He wasn’t around when things weren’t going so well. I didn’t want to blame Him or feel disappointed in His care. I didn’t want to acknowledge that God takes away.
But, when I was feeling fantastic, I was thrilled to give Him all the praise and glory.
God isn’t just a fair-weather friend any more than He is just a safety net when life gets too hard.
Take it from Abraham, who was called God’s friend for His faithfulness. He believed God was good when, in his old age, he had a son and received the promise of being the father of a great nation. He also believed in God’s goodness when he was asked to sacrifice his son.
There’s Job, who worshiped God while fortunate and while calamity fell on Him. Job called on God and His refuge and comfort when his whole life came under attack. And he kept on praising the Lord when it was all restored.
David went from a lowly shepherd to a war hero, just to be hunted. Then he became king –and a murderous adulterer. He repented, was forgiven, and became a great leader. He was before the Lord and relying on Him all the while.
Psalm 23:6 echoes:
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. Share on XAre you a friend of God every day of your life, or only when praise is easy?
{Originally published on My Faith Radio}
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I appreciate all these metaphors for the ways in which we dishonor God. Another that I’ll add to the list came from John Piper, and I love it: a rain coat. We hang it in the back of the closet until the weather goes sour, and then we drag it out and use it, only to hang it back up in the closet again when the sun starts to shine.
Blessings, Bethany! I hope you’re enjoying the beginning of summer days!
Thank you Michele! I appreciate them too, I’ll have to remember the raincoat metaphor, that’s a good one!! Blessings to you, I hope June is full of joy for you!
This is a good reminder for all of us to not take God for granted. He knows best, and we do best when we can honor that. It’s not always easy when he seems quiet or takes us down a path we don’t want to go. But that’s what faith is for. Thanks for sharing this, Bethany.
Thank you Lisa! So thankful He knows best- I sure don’t, even on the sunny days!
I struggle most when things are going well. I cut my quiet time with God short. When things are tough I know I can’t do it without God. I want to have that same dependency all of the time as well as close intimacy. I am working on not cutting short my time with God.
I hear you, Maree! I’ve noticed myself too often not turning to God if all seemed well because I wanted to bask in “good weather” instead of in His presence. Thankful He draws us near!
Amen, Bethany: “God isn’t just a fair-weather friend any more than He is just a safety net when life gets too hard.” There’s a new song from Rend Collective that goes something like: “What was true in the light is also true in the dark.” Praying we remember God’s goodness all our days! ((Hugs))
Weep with Me! Great song : ) Thanks He IS good all our days too, Crystal!