God is never on Holiday!
Psalm 42:5
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior.
Often times, when things don’t seem to work the way we want, or when things are not aligned in our favor, we are quick to conclude that God has forgotten or abandoned us. I am glad to announce to you that God has not forgotten you, neither has He gone on holiday. In 1 Kings 18:20-39, prophet Elijah proofed that God is never on holiday, neither will He ever be. Elijah had a confrontation with the prophets of Baal, when they called on their god to show, he never did. Elijah mocked them saying “perhaps your god is on holiday”. But when Elijah’s turn came, he called on God, and He showed up in the midst of enemy’s confrontation.
Most times, we think we know God, but we don’t, why? The Bible says that those who know their God shall do exploits (Daniel 11:32). Lack of exploits is an indication that we are void of the true knowledge that gives us access to God. According to Hosea 4:6 “God’s people have gone into captivity for lack of knowledge”.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
‘I (God) alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. 13 You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart. 14 Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile. I, the LORD, have spoken.’
Therefore, in order to rid your mind of the notion that God has forgotten you, you must invest in spiritual knowledge that will position you to see and hear God every time you call on Him.
God is ever available, but you need to know how to access him. In Jeremiah 29:12 paraphrased, “When you call on me and search for me (God) with all your heart, I will answer and turn your story around. Note, from the above scripture, there are 3 key factors in securing Gods’ attention.
3 Dimensional Keys in Securing God’s Attention
1. Call
There must be a call, the call connotes prayer. Prayer is a two-way communication between God and man. Two way, not one way. Just as you call a friend on your phone, and when he picks, a conversation ensues. Words and passed through communication from one end to the other. However, when only one person speaks, and hangs up the phone, it is no longer communication, but a reportage.
Isaiah 1:18 ‘Come, let us discuss this," says the LORD… In prayer, we discuss and reason with God to get His response regarding any issue we present to Him. Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Then you will call upon me, and I will answer you. It will take your call in prayer to access God. Luke 18:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, I Kings 7: 14 admonishes us about the need to pray consistently in hope without weariness regardless of the circumstance, and He (God) will intervene. Isaiah 49:15-16 'Even though some mothers may forget their suckling children, but God says, He will never forget nor abandon you as long as you are doing what is required of you to access His presence and command His attention . In 1 Samuel 1:10-11 Hannah prayed unto to God, her situation regardless, and she got and answer.
2. Search
There is a searching to be done in order to access and command His presence Jeremiah 29:13. Often times, we don’t want to do the work, but we want to share and enjoy in the glory. It doesn’t work that way. God is His spoken word, and when you engage in a soul search, you will find Him. John 1:1 ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Isaiah 34:16 ‘"Study and read from the book of the LORD: And not one will fail. When you engage in a search, by the help of the Holy Spirit, you discover the secrets of God, and when you engage those discovered secrets, you command your answers through God.
Isaiah 41:21 ‘I am the LORD, the King of Israel! Come argue your case with me. Present your evidence’. The only way you can produce your evidence and argue your case with God is when you have found what He said concerning that situation in His word. Your discovery will come only by searching. Jeremiah 15:16, 'Jeremiah said', He found God’s Word and ate them, and they became the rejoicing of his life. You have to take responsibility and be consistent in order to experience the realness of God. 2 Timothy 2:15 and 1 Timothy 5: 17, admonishes you and I to labor fervently in the study of the word in order to experience the glory of God.
3. Engage your Heart
In order to experience God, your heart plays a significant role. Jeremiah 29:13 ‘If you will search for me with all your heart’! Until there is a hearty search, you will continue to think God has forgotten you. 1 Samuel 1: 13 'Hannah' prayed in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. It is not in the level of noise you make when praying, but the state of your heart. You may be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord, and not with a perfect heart. 2 Chronicles 25:1-2, "And king Amaziah did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart." You may think you are engaging in what the bible tells you to do, but pause and ask yourself, if it is with a perfect heart. God only operates with our heart and not what is happening on the outside. We can deceive man, but not God. Jeremiah 17: 10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." David knew the importance of having a right heart when it comes to dealing with God. Psalm 51:10 ‘God, create a pure heart in me, and renew a right attitude within me’. The is a need for spiritual repositioning. Psalm 19:14 ‘May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Examine yourself. Ask yourself, “does the word of my mouth align with that of my heart?” Psalm 24:2-6 'Only those with clean hands and pure heart can access God and be blessed by Him'.
It imperative to know that God is never on Holiday, it takes our commitment and responsibility to secure His attention. God communicates in different ways you may not know, reason why you feel he has abandoned you. He reveals Himself through His word ‘1 Samuel 3:21’. He “speaks to you directly by engaging the person of the Holy Spirit or through the men of God placed over you (John 16:13, Jeremiah 3:15). He shows you His plans through visions and dreams (Numbers 12:6, & Daniel 2:19). Finally, in the midst of praise, Isaiah 30: 29-30 “And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down…
In conclusion, in order not to experience the absence of God, you must seek and find him at the right time. Isaiah 55: 6 ‘Seek the LORD while he makes himself available; call to him while he is nearby’.
May your ears and eyes be opened continually to hear and see when God reveals Himself. Amen!