What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Psalm 8:4

Powerful. Do we even fully grasp the significance of a God who is willing to meet us where we are and love us? We are so frail, so broken; from the least to the greatest, we are as dust. The sad reality of our humanity is that even those who loved God with as much as they could, struggled with remembering their humble place.

Provision, love, faithfulness, mercy… God has never lacked in any one. His very essence is love, and His character has no flaws. Why do we seek for lesser things? Why do we allow ourselves to wander when God is all we need as our daily bread, and our fullness of life?

Adam and Eve began this trek of searching beyond the beauty and perfection that was right in front of them. Endless choices of luscious fruit abounded. They were not in need, yet their curiosity led them to question their contentment. Is there more? Is what God offered me enough, or should I divulge my pallet with the one tree that God had forbid? They came to a crossroad. Were they going to believe that God said, “No,” to protect them, or was it to limit them. They chose to trust the snake. His conniving deception had won out over the consistency of their loving God.

Noah also showed his humanity. Even though he had faith to meticulously follow the blueprint of the ark to a tee, and was miraculously cared for 150 days on the ark he still let a vice take precedent in his thinking. When the flood subsided, and his complete dependency on God vanished, he turned to the temporary satisfaction of alcohol. Getting so drunk he left himself exposed in his tent, and was then vulnerable to being shamed by one of his sons.

Then there were the Israelites who were rescued from a lifetime of slavery. They witnessed countless plagues that were verbally described to them as the hand of God, yet when they reached safety, they complained over and over again. Despite God’s provision and mercy, they desired to go back to Egypt. Their “uncomfortability” as free men was too great a burden. As an onlooker, you almost want to say, “Are you kidding me? Can you not see what God has saved you from?”

Yet, the sad reality is that sometimes we don’t see what God has saved us from, or the provisions that are right in front of our face.

We almost see this parallel with our needs offering us this platform of grace to keep us focused on our Saviour. Without them, we fail to recognize our necessity to stay connected to the vine, which inevitably leads to self-destruction. Even if there is no immediate “need”,  we have to remember that God is still an essential part in our life. He is our life-giving water, and our firm foundation.

There is a verse in Hebrews 11:6, that says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” I believe this is two-fold. One: a true belief and faith in God in His entirety; and two: a constant drawing closer to God. The verse doesn’t say, “those who have found him”, but “those who seek him”. Those who actively are pursuing and building a relationship that draws us closer to God.

Sometimes we get overly confident in ourselves and are so proud of our sturdy self-sufficient life system we have created that we push God to the corner. We have made no room for the things outside our realm of unpredictability. God is God, and we are not. We have to allow ourselves to be guided by something bigger. No matter where we are at, may we never lose sight of God. Willfully and actively pursue a God who is actively and willfully pursuing you. If you only search for God when you are in need, perhaps you will stay in need… because God’s love for you is bigger than your comfort.

Like the story, of Adam, Eve, Noah, the Israelites, and pretty much every single other person in the Bible, they had flaws; they had times of weakness. Even Paul says in Romans 7:15, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” We are human, and imperfect. The common thread is God’s love for them, and God’s love for you. There will be times that we mess up and fail. We will disappoint ourselves and those around us, because we are limited and far from perfect. Thankfully, we serve a God of grace. A God who wept for us, (John 11:35), and died for us. He knows us so intimately and yet loves us. What a beautiful thing to stand in awe of His holiness and splendor… with the only thing left to express out of your lips is… Thank You.