Is God Really Avaiable?

One of my personal favorite Comics is Ziggy, Tom Wilson and Tom II have a special way about them that often makes me laugh and think. Sunday August 12, 2007's comic was one of those; Ziggy was at the top of the mountain approaching the Guru and says, "i DIDN'T KNOW i NEEDED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!"

After chuckling at Ziggy's latest bout of hard luck I started thinking about it. He went for advice, spiritual help, or something of the sort and got turned away because he did not have an appointment. How sad that is and what if God was like that?

What if you approached God in prayer for wisdom, help, or even praise and were turned away. Maybe God was busy, having a day off, or you simply had not called ahead for an appointment - kind of like the experience the prophets of Baal had on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18:27-29. "It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, 'Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.' So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention."

The sad news is that most everyone I know, including me, feels like that is what happens from time to time. It is discouraging, depressing, awful-feeling that causes you to be even more heartsick.

The good news is that for the Christian, it does not have to be that way. You can go straight to God the Father and go right on in. Your prayers can go through the ceiling to God in Heaven! So how can a Christian go from feeling like Ziggy who forgot to make an appointment and the frustrated prophets of Baal to praying confidently like Elijah did in 1 Kings 18? The Bible tells you how.

First, you need to clear up any known sin.
This is because of what God says in Isaiah 59:1-2. "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear." So confess and repent of those sins, receiving God's forgiveness and renewed fellowship. As Isaiah relates in 55:6 - 7, "Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."

Second, you need to really want God.
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 saying that the great and foremost commandment is, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND." (Matthew 22:37} Notice the "all's" He is talking about total abandonment to God. This goes right along with a common theme in the Old Testament about seeking God: "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul." {Deuteronomy 4:29} "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." {Jeremiah 29:13} "All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the LORD gave them rest on every side." {2 CHRONICLES 15:15} Again, notice how the seeking God demanded their "all". When they sought God that way "He let them find Him." So when you seek God in prayer, do it with your "all"!

Third, you approach God with humble confidence in Jesus Christ.
Even with the first two steps there is only one way you can ever approach God: that is through Jesus Christ, your Savior. "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." {Hebrews 10:19-22}

Notice that in all this there is no mention of appointments, special days, or people to go through in order to approach God. In fact He has already done all the impossibly hard parts!

So you and I need never feel like Ziggy in that comic. After all you and I are not approaching some guru on a mountain top that does not want to be bothered. Rather we are coming to the God who has already prepared the way and wants us to come to Him.

Take advantage of and thank God for this as you approach Him in prayer.

Written by Rev. Daniel B. Baker August 2007



Articles by Rev. Daniel B. Baker :: Webmaster: Joseph I. Baker