God blesses us so richly, but at times the presence of God can become too commonplace in our hearts. As God’s grace and blessings become familiar and comfortable the temptation can be to abandon thankfulness. I am reminded of how often I fail thank God for giving me another day of life or praising Him, beyond a rote practice, for the daily provision I am given. At times, I ask God to help me use the time and material blessings to bring glory to His name, all the while in my heart I can be guilty of seeing them as expected and deserved gifts. As I worship the Lord in community whether by sharing Scripture, revelation, words of encouragement or other means of enjoying the benefits of being part of His body, I don’t always see the grace that allows me to do so. It is far too easy, at least for me, to forget the privilege of unbridled praise of God that is free of prosecution. There are certainly days I even overlook the spiritual growth that God has brought about in my heart and attribute self-made idols for the transformation I have undergone that allows me to bear the fruit of the Spirit more abundantly.
The Lord judged Israel for similar sin, which He made known through the prophet Jeremiah, an appointed prophet. He said the people defiled what had been given to them because they stopped asking, “Where is the Lord?” and turned to idols. Instead of acknowledging God and seeking after Him they allowed their hearts to stray farther and father away, forgetting not only overlooking the daily blessings but the mighty works of God in their life as well.
“They stopped asking, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness, a land no one traveled through and where no one lived?'” Jeremiah 2:6 CSB
My heart aches at the thought that though I am not carving idols with my hands, my heart crafts them. Its in a subtle attitude elevates my ability over God’s abundance gifts of the physical, mental, emotional capacity to accomplish the daily tasks set before me. Sin quietly infects my heart when I see my choice as the avenue of success rather than God’s providence and faithfulness. In all things, God is the source of every good gift and His Spirit is faithful to lead me and guide me.
Humility before God recognizes His hand and seeks Him in times of turmoil as well as peace. Whether facing the mundane or situations out of the ordinary, we must be diligent to ask, “where is the Lord.” Our hearts have to be trained to seek Him fully and wholly. God spoke to the Prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:13 and stated, “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” The same truth is reiterated in the New Testament Gospels and in the Book of Acts.
“The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:24-27
God is never far and His blessings are not hidden from view, but sometimes we need to refocus our attention to keep the attitude of our heart in check. Today, in this moment, it is important to evaluate whether you have been faithful to acknowledge the Lord with praise and thanksgiving in the situations and circumstances you are walking through. Take a moment to fix your attention on Him and assess if you are giving thanks to God for even the commonplace graces that you given and let’s pray that our hearts our sensitively tuned to God in a way that leads to thankfulness.