"God -- Just How Busy Is He?"

May 3, 2005

"God -- Just How Busy Is He?"
by Steve Shultz, The Elijah List
Web: www.elijahlist.com 
Email: elijahlist@qwest.net

He was both my employer and my friend. And he understood the Gospel . . . most of it, that is.

The Gospel . . . the good news is that Jesus Christ died for us. Now this may come as a shock to some, but Jesus died for sinners. In fact, the Bible teaches He died for us while we were still sinners!

We call it the Gospel because the Gospel means "Good News!" Jesus dying for sinners while they are still sinners is about as Good News as Good News gets.

But that's not the end of the story. You see, that tells you something about Jesus. He said He came to show us the Father. When He became a friend of sinners, He was demonstrating by his actions -- by his relationships. By his "to do" list each day—just Who His Father was.

Back to my friend . . . George (we'll call him) understood the Gospel. His problem was that when it came down to the daily stuff . . . about God having "time" for us—George's understanding was of a God who lived 2000 years ago but was way too busy these days for just regular stuff, like our problems.

George would argue with me, "God is too busy with important things, like wars, and starving children, and people who are in crisis . . . people who are dying. He doesn't have time for my 'little' problems!" he protested from the heart.

I must admit that argument was reasonable. The thing is, it's just not true.


The God-in-the-Box Which Must Be "Let Out"

As a kid, I used to love to play with a "Jack-in-the-Box."

'Round and round I'd wind it, the music clinking along, and, at just the right moment . . . "POP!" and up would come Jack the clown.

Then I'd do it again. It was so dependable.

Sort of the way we do with God.

When we need Him -- when we really need him -- we wind up those prayers, and as the music of our emergency crescendos -- when our situation seems finally serious enough to bother the Almighty with -- then, at just the right moment, God will suddenly "POP UP," because if He responds to anything, He responds to human emergencies.

Am I right or am I right? Is this how you often feel?

Try as I might, I couldn't make George understand that God cares about even the little things in our life. I didn't have to make it up. It's in the Word of God. I especially love the Amplified version of the Scripture on this one:

" . . . for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]" [Josh 1:5.] Heb 13:5 AMP


Just What Does God Actually Have Time For Then?

Perhaps one of the funniest things we think about God –- or the funniest two things we think about God -- are completely contradictory thoughts: First, we say to ourselves, "God has no time for my little worries and concerns because He's just too busy taking care of starving children, accident victims and wars around the world!"

But at the same time, we say to ourselves -- or we believe in our heart -- that, "God has more than enough time to record every wrong thought and every wrong action and every word I shouldn't have said -- that I will be accountable for some day!"

Now maybe it's just me, but it seems that you can't have it both ways. Either He's too busy for you or He's not!

David figured out His God wasn't too busy for mankind when he passionately penned what the Holy Spirit was speaking to him as he recorded Psalms 139:1-6

O LORD, you have searched me

and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in--behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me


Then David adds,

"Where can I flee from your presence?" Ps 139:7


You can't even run from Him . . . even if you try really hard! He knows everything you do. He knows everything you're about to do. And He knows everything you're about to say! All before you do it or say it.

No wonder David couldn't grasp it.


During War, God is Still Answering Prayers For Everyone

Jesus gave us this amazing model or prayer, which included, "Give us this day, our daily bread." Now that's instruction for each person, each day, to pray for their bread, for that day.

That's specific.

I have this picture in my head: It was during the war in Iraq, the second one. Whether the war was right or wrong, the picture in my head was of these American service men, taking a knee and praying the Lord's Prayer out loud, while the camera recorded the action: "Our Father, Who art in Heaven," they prayed, "hallowed Be They Name. . . "

As they continued to pray, what they and perhaps few others fully comprehended was that they were asking God to involve Himself in answered prayers for the whole earth!

You know how it goes: "Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done, ON EARTH, just as it's done in heaven!" (paraphrased)

We have been taught by the Lord how to pray . . . every time we pray for God's will to be done throughout the earth. So while those soldiers probably felt they were just praying for their own safety and a swift end to the war, what they were really praying was this:

a) Keep the babies being born around the globe safe.

b) Change the hearts of drug pushers.

c) Make that wedding in Israel be the most blessed day of that bride's life!

d) Answer the heart's cry of that Iraqi mother who is asking for her son's safety.

e) Take care of my mother's brother who is in the cancer ward.

f) There's a little girl named Sarah who is in Switzerland praying for a brand new red tricycle. Please meet her need to have faith in you.

g) There are wicked people who must be caught and punished. Apprehend them.

h) There are innocent people being forced to fight. Do not punish them.

i) Bring salvations throughout Europe in this hour.

j) Stop all the pornography that is being perpetrated on the Internet.

k) And, oh yes, my right leg is aching, could you do something about that?

l) And on and on it goes . . .


You see, God is a God who is omnipresent, omniscient, omnicaring, and omni-everything else. He knows the number of hairs are your head and Jesus wasn't kidding when He told us that. He knows when your mother will go home to be with the Lord, and He cares that she will not be alone as she passes. He knows every single sparrow that falls. He said so. And He meant it. Not one falls to the earth unless it's that sparrow's time to "go."


Just How Busy Is God?

By Heaven's standards, God is extremely relaxed and not wringing His hands at all. He's got lots of extra time available to Him for your problems, your prayers, and your needs.

So when He's talking to you, He's not rushing. He's got all the time in the world. There are lots of things He wants to say to you and to hear from you and to do with you.

Right now, He just wants you to know that.

Steve Shultz
The Elijah List
www.elijahlist.com
elijahlist@qwest.net
541-926-3250

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