You can be sincerely convinced in your mind about what God is like, and you can be sincerely wrong. God is not as bothered with you as you might think.
A.W. Tozer opened his classic, The Knowledge of the Holy, with a thought-provoking intro statement: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
When I first read that statement, I believed it to be overly simplistic, but the more I have studied it, I cannot find a weakness. Our perception of God defines everything about us.
- If you believe God to be harsh, you shy away from Him.
- If you are convinced He is uncaring, you won’t bring your troubles before Him.
- If you don’t believe in His presence, you will live as if He isn’t there, and you can do whatever your heart desires.
I love reading the heroes of Scripture give their perception of God. Read David’s in Psalm 34:
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
Psalm 34:15-18
and his ears are open to their cry for help.
16 The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil,
to remove all memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he saves those crushed in spirit.
What came to David’s mind when he thought about God? “The LORD is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18). Do you believe that about God? I often feel like my troubles are bothersome to Him. He is Almighty God; I’m a pitiful peon. Surely, He can’t concern Himself with my petty drama.
That is not what Scripture teaches. He doesn’t distance us when we are brokenhearted; He moves in closer. He’s not annoyed by those people whose spirits are crushed; He reaches out to save us!
Suppose you believe that about God, that should encourage you to be honest with Him. God knows what you are struggling with right now; it’s best to start talking to Him about whatever it is. He is watching over and listening to you (Ps. 34:15). You don’t need to get His attention when you call out to Him because He is always fixated upon you. You can come to Him with your troubles, He hears you, and He is willing and available to rescue you from any trial you face (Ps. 34:17).
If you call on God in this life, you will still have troubles, but He will walk you through them and help you endure. For those who reject God in this life, there is a day when He will give them that desired distance for eternity (Ps. 34:16). God will make all things right eventually, so trust Him immediately in whatever you are facing.
Get honest with Him, and watch Him go to work.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
