Fruit Snacks pt. 2: God Cares About What I Care About
Every good and perfect gift comes from God.
But where did this idea come from that God cares about what I care about? I’ve seen this idea applied to events, parties, college admissions, sports, and oddly enough, parking spaces.
Maybe it’s because I live in a city, and I went to school in a city, but many times I’ve heard people share how God gave them a great parking space near wherever they were trying to go. Does God care about my parking struggles? Sure… sometimes. Is God the almighty parking attendant, making sure I get to my appointments on time? Eh… that’s not really fruit. It’s fruit snacks.
But look - it’s not really about parking spaces. It’s about the belief that God wants the same things we want and therefore gives us the random things we ask for. God wants my team to win. God wants me to score this goal. God wants my party to go well. God cares about my event as much as I do. Is that really true? Is it biblical? Does it even make sense?
There are little graces in our lives every day. God has created a world that, despite its brokenness, is loaded with grace, joy, and beautiful surprises. Sometimes lovely things happen, because of the loveliness of the creator. Sometimes things go well.
Sometimes God steps in when our frustration levels have reached their peak, and shows us a little unexpected grace. I have experienced little bits of grace from God many times in many small and unexpected, even seemingly trivial ways.
And sometimes you really truly do need a parking space, and you are in need of a little special grace. I’m not judging you. Cry out to God in all situations. God knows your needs.
But sometimes you just need to set your alarm and get up earlier. Or you need to study more. Or plan better.
God cares about you and your wants and needs. But more than your baby shower or your soccer match, God cares about your soul.
There is a fictional British detective named Father Brown created by G.K. Chesterton. A TV show based on the Father Brown books portrays Father Brown as a clever crime solver, and also a devoted follower of God. When he catches the criminals, Father Brown always tells them, “Repent and save your mortal soul.”
Those words make most modern listeners squirm a bit. “Repent” sounds so judgmental. “Save your soul” sounds so ominous and old fashioned. But that’s the message of the gospel. That’s really what God wants from us - to repent, or change direction, and walk with God, aligning our souls with God.
Scripture tells us in several places that prayer should be an alignment of our wills to God’s. In the Lord’s prayer Jesus instructs us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Even in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Julian of Norwich was an anchoress who lived in the 14th century in England. She was the first woman known to have written a book in English which has survived, The Revelations of Divine Love, based on 16 visions she received on May 8, 1373 when she was 30 years old. At that time the citizens of Norwich suffered from plague, poverty, and famine, so Julian dealt quite intimately with suffering, need, and prayer. Her entire life was devoted to prayer, communion, and spiritual counsel.
She wrote:
Prayer is the deliberate and persevering action of the soul. It is true and enduring, and full of grace. Prayer fastens the soul to God and makes it one with God's will.
Prayer fastens the soul to God and makes it one with God’s will.
What a beautiful and mind-blowing image.
When we live a dedicated life of prayer, we will find ourselves praying for little things, petty things, maybe even things that God doesn’t want for us. But the more we pray, the more we deliberately persevere, the more our souls align with God, and the less we will seek things that go against God’s will, or serve only ourselves, and not God’s Kingdom.
So should you pray for that parking space?
Sure.
Pray in all circumstances.
But if your entire testimony of God revolves around conveniences, you may be missing out on the depth and the riches of what God has for you. You might be dining on fruit snacks, when there is actual fruit available to you.
Keep persevering in prayer about everything. But as you persevere, remember that God is forming you and aligning you with his will. Ask him how to pray. Pray for God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven.
Repent and save your mortal soul.
Earlier posts in this series: