All of us need God. Every last one of us.
But sometimes, there come moments in our life where we feel invincible. Whether that’s when you’re seventeen and speeding on a motorcycle through traffic, or you’re approaching fifty and about to get that promotion you’ve been angling for, those times come in various ways for all of us.
And when they do, they can cause us to forget our need for God.
Moses warns the Israelites of this in Deuteronomy 8, when he says that they will prosper once they arrive in Canaan. Of this, there is no doubt. But the danger becomes when they look around at all their blessings and think to themselves, “My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17).
That type of thinking creates a wicked pattern in our lives. When we are living in the prime of life, God is far from our mind. When we need Him though, like when we’re going through a horrific medical emergency or a particularly troubling family time, we call on God and beg Him to answer.
Why the dichotomy? Why can we not pray to Him when we don’t need anything?
It’s because, as is the case with Pharaoh, the danger is past. In Exodus 8:15, the Text says that “When Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to [Moses and Aaron].” In other words, when the danger from the plague was gone, he had no use for God anymore, even though it was by His hand the plague was removed in the first place.
Don’t we do the same? Why is it so easy for us to turn our backs on Jesus at the exact moment that we’re enjoying so many of the blessings He has given us? Our heart gets hard not because we don’t need Him, but because we don’t think we need Him. After all, when there’s no danger, there’s no need for a Savior.
We should all live like our pants are on fire. Pray desperately, even when our situation isn’t desperate. Live in humility, even when we’re not being humbled. Obey Him thoroughly, even when it’s easy to do so. Only by constantly recognizing our need for God will we keep from hardening our hearts towards Him.
