What if God was too busy for us?

I help lead a weekly Bible study with one of my good friends every Wednesday night. This week my friend was leading the discussion, and she posed a question that has haunted me since then. And now I want to pose that very same question to you. So here it goes.

What if God did not have time for you?

Pause.

Consider.

Let me put it another way.

What if God was too busy for you?

Holy Moses! Just the thought of it scares me to death. I've never lived in a world where God was not in control. I've never lived a day that God didn't create and bless me with. I've never lived a minute without knowing God was constantly by my side.

Never before Wednesday night did I ever consider just how selfish I was being. I continually expect God to be waiting on me, to fix my problems when I finally ask him and to take a back seat to the rest of my life when I have something better to do.

But what if the roles were reversed?

What if when I turned to ask God for his help, he was off doing something more fun? What if when I am in crisis, grief-stricken, broken-hearted, freaking out or dangerously ill, God puts my name on a waiting list? That world terrifies me. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that I cannot imagine it. And I'm definitely not exaggerating when I say that I don't want to.

Fortunately, that world is not reality. Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God promised never to leave or forsake us. Proverbs 18:24 says God is a friend who sticks closer to us than a brother. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus says he is with us always to the very end of the age.

What a relief! I am so grateful that I am never, ever alone. But I am realizing that I shouldn't turn that comfort into lazy confidence. I need to use this question to spur me. I want to want to spend more time with God. He's God, plain and simple, and if I claim to love him, I need to be willing to give him enough time to really get to know him.

I know I won't wake up tomorrow and everything will be perfect. I'll pray about it. I'll ask God to change my heart. I'll give him a sacrifice until that sacrifice turns into a delight. At least I'm going to try, and I would challenge you to do the same.

Contact Morgan Unger at unger6@marshall.edu.