A Deeper Relationship with God
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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
-- Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV).
Years ago, I shared with our Sunday school class how I prayed to see a bear while we drove through one of the national parks, and God answered that prayer. Someone responded with a comment about how they did not believe we should bother God with such trivial requests. I tried to hide my surprise at her thoughts. I’ve heard this sentiment before.
If we only communicate with God when we experience problems or issues, we are limiting our relationship with our Heaven Father. We live most of faith in the ordinary moments. God wants to take part in those moments and the extraordinary ones.
Just as parents want to be involved in every part of their children’s lives, God wants the same relationship with us.
When the Ordinary Feels Unimportant
All of us can feel that a daily routine can feel dull or insignificant. When the ordinary feels unimportant in faith, we can use it as a signal to remember God’s perspective: He uses the simple, overlooked things and people. He has a purpose in your everyday efforts. God creates an extraordinary impact through small acts by transforming humble situations into significant moments with His presence and power, not by human metrics.
As you seek to draw closer to Him, remember that God values faithfulness and relationships more than our visibility to the world.
Invitation to Notice God More
I encourage everyone to slow down and pay attention to the ordinary events in daily living and to pray for God to use them for His purpose. We can begin by noticing God in ordinary life. We see it through intentional awareness, cultivating gratitude for small things, seeing His presence in creation and others, and transforming daily tasks into prayerful moments. Practices like mindful pauses, reflective prayer during commutes, and finding beauty in nature help shift our perspective, recognizing the divine in the mundane.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Specifically, what can you do every day to slow down and appreciate God more?
2. Why do you think that God values faithfulness and relationships more than our visibility to the world?
