When God Shows Up
When you pray, do you expect God to show up? This might seem like an odd question; why else would I pray? Of course, I expect God to show up. If I can be honest, though, I have, on more occasions than I would like to admit, prayed and didn’t really expect God to show up. Most often, I have this experience when I am praying for things that I think are too small or of little consequence for God’s attention or Kingdom. I am here to confess that position is a violation of what I believe to be essentially true about who God is. That is, I believe that God is personal and deeply concerned about every aspect of my life. (Ps. 139:1) Yet, I still struggle to expect God to show up in the mundane and little things of my life.
Growing up, there was a man in our church that, at times, struck me as a little odd. Why? Because he whole-heartedly expected God to show up. He would pray for God’s hand and leading over the most mundane things. However, looking back, I am now struck by the depth and genuineness of his faith. One time, he and I were setting up chairs during my high school years at the church, and we noticed a mouse in the sanctuary. He and I went about setting up some traps, and then he paused and said, “Let’s pray.” I hope my face didn’t expose my inner thoughts at that moment, yet, I’m afraid they must have. I thought, why would we pray about something like this?!? Then, a couple of days later, I saw him again; his son and I played on the same baseball team. He came up to me and said, “Kyle, do you know what God did? He helped us catch not one but three mice! Isn’t that wonderful?” And again, I thought, no, we set traps and caught three mice. … How foolish of me!
Frankly, I’ve had to repent of my attitude of faithlessness more often than I’d like to admit. And, every time I do, God brings back to my memory this man. He not only expected God to show up in the big things but in the everyday and regular things as well. And, you know what? God showed up.
I’m also here to confess that I have seen God show up time and time again in the little things and in the big things. Why? Because he is faithful. Yes, it doesn’t always look miraculous or even how I expected, but he shows up. Over our time in the book of Acts, we have seen God show up. And, we will see it happen more as we continue. Friends, let continue to expect God to show up. When we see it, let’s praise him for it. And, when our attitudes fall short, let’s be quick to repent. Why? Because God can even help us catch some mice!