Skip to content If you’ve googled this before, you’ll likely get the same answers, read the Bible more, pray more, etc. It’s the same answer to many life’s problems. Although they are wise and true, here’s an approach to depend on God that may be more specific.
First of what does it mean to depend on God. And more importantly how do you depend on God? The Bible is clear, our dependence on God is the proper way to live, to follow Him, (Philippians 4:19, Exodus 14:14, Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 4:13, Psalms 118:8) yet why is this an elusive command, hard to define and yet even harder to follow. Let’s explore this conundrum.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DEPEND ON GOD
Dependence is in contrast to being independent. To be independent is to to be self sufficient. To not need anyone and to certainly not need help. It’s also to be alone. Our culture finds independence a virtue. Not having to rely on anyone. It envisions the marborlo man needing no one or anything living with just his bare hands and Mother Nature. Put him in the middle of nowhere and not only will he survive but thrive.
Dependent people on the other hand we think of the frail elderly, children, or the adult child refusing to get their life together. Yet is this what we are to aspire towards? Perhaps not in the negative sense, but in the sense that we rely on none other than God. The following are some tips and insights that brings us closer to that positive sense of the word, dependence.
1. BE CHILD LIKE
Interestingly the Bible is filled with analogies of how we are to be like children. Jesus says we are to come to God as a child. Jesus gives parables about how the father gives good gifts to his children. And even the title of God being God the Father. We in some ways take that child identity.
When I look at my children, they are certainly dependent in every sense of the word. They are constantly needing my direction. I make food for them, I bath them, I clean their room, I direct them when to sleep, how much to eat, when they can play and when they are to be serious and quiet, and sometimes even how to think. Is this how God wants us to be. With every facet of our life be directed by God? I think that might be a yes. But let me explain.
How much thought is put into to the routine that is set in your day. Let’s face it most of your day is on auto pilot. You most likely have a certain routine of living and without much decision making brain power you follow the muscle memory of every day life. The question is how much have you put into this routine. You wake up at a time to give yourself enough time to sleep, to get ready and to perhaps get the kids ready, but have you thought what time God would want you up? I’m not going to answer this question for you but perhaps God does want you up at a certain time.
Or what about what you eat on a day to day basis. Does God care that you regularly stuff your face with Cheetos and root beer when you anxious, or that Taco Bell is on a weekly rotation? Or what about the fact that you can’t help but spend an entire evening binge watching Netflix from time to time. Or that for the life of you you can’t be on time for work.
Now I’m not saying that God always cares about the trivialities of life, but it is possible that sometimes he does. Without considering God’s input on the matter may be a mistake. Perhaps God does care that you wake up at a time without giving him the proper acknowledgement of his life giving gift for the day. Or perhaps he does care about your physical body and he would like it to be in tip top shape so that you can live the best version of you. I mean why wouldn’t he care. These are things that help us flourish in the fullest sense of it and isn’t God in the business of flourishing?
With this then, let’s go to ground zero and re work our day and reevaluate everything we do. Question it, ponder over the mindless acts we do and ask ourself, is this pleasing to the Lord? This type of infantile dependence on God may be enlightening to how much we actually do not do things for God.
2. GIVE THANKS
It’s so easy to go through life doing the best you can with work, your family and just plain living and when things go well you pat yourself on the back. But this is a failure to see that your wise decisions that led to prosperity is just a part of your success. What about the opportunities that were given to you that you had no control over. The upbringing you had, the country you were born in, the mental faculties that were gifted to you by God. Or what about the many variables of everyday living that can and often do go haywire, yet in your circumstances they don’t.
“Success” is thus a tapestry of a multitude variables which come together in a harmonious way. Your good decisions being a strand in the fabric of success. So instead of thinking that it’s all you, know that you are a product of many blessings, many of which you had no control over. And for that give thanks.
3. ENOUGH WITH THE BROWSING
Out sight out of mind. How can you be dependent on God if God is not on your mind?
Life is busy and with busyness means your mind is not always in in the most holiest of places. I’m not saying that in a sinful, lust filled manner, but rather the mundane activities that we do all day. But there is always a sliver of time where your mind can be free, and recenter to whatever you wish to fill it with. Say at the check out counter at the store, or waiting for your turn at the doctors office. Yet instead of centering ourselves on the life giving creator, we pull out our phones and browse. We browse and browse to our hearts content, or at least until we have to unload our cart.
Instead of browsing the phone on content you will likely forget, why not remind yourself that you are God’s child, recite a verse or simply acknowledge that you need him even when you’re buying toilet paper.
4. LIFE IS BRIEF, KNOW THIS
You know that you will die one day. It’s such a bummer. And because it’s a rather depressing fact we just don’t like to think about it, but perhaps we should. We are all vulnerable to the effects of time. And if you live long enough you will see it in your face, your joints, and be reminded of it every birthday. But instead of kicking the can further and not wrestle with this inevitable truth why don’t we just address it.
This is the quickest way to realize your only hope is in Christ. It is only through Christ that death is not the end, but just a comma to life everlasting. How strong is your faith in this? This will correspond with how dependent you are in Christ.
5. PRAY UNCEASINGLY
Most of us know that the apostle Paul guides us to pray unceasingly. However you want to implement this, the bottom line is that you should pray more. Find times to pray, whether its at a check out counter, or when you wake up, or when you go to bed, before meals, or when you are on the toilet, make room for it. God wants to hear from you, and maybe you’ll hear from Him. When you are in the presence of the holiest of holies, you will recognize your feebleness and your need for Him.
check out this article: FOCUS ON JESUS: HOW AND WHY DO WE DO THIS
These are admittedly not the average run of the mill advice. But try it, see how it affects your relationship with God.
