Do you view God as safe, as tame? Do you tend to want God only when you need God, to either grant you relief from your circumstances, or forgiveness for your sins? And when you need him, do you simply take for granted that God will help you?
Are we ever guilty of what someone has called bomb shelter religion
?1 Israel believed that God would be available to save them in an emergency, regardless of the fact that they otherwise ignored him, and indeed forsook them. Now, we are not right now in the same state of apostasy that Israel was at that time. But, do we nevertheless use God? Bomb shelter Christianity takes God and his mercy for granted. Is it the case that when times are easy, we go after the things of this world, the little pleasures? Is it true that when times are easy, we would much rather worship at the shrine of plenty, the temple of status, or the synagogue of ambition? Is it true that only when the going gets rough that we live out our faith—pray more, read our Bibles more?
Do we want a god to whom we go only when circumstances are bad and we want something from him? Even when those circumstances might be a result of our acting in some way unfaithfully and reaping what we sow? And do we then come to him thinking that with enough prayer, he will bail us out? After all, he has delivered us in the past, he has worked on our behalf in the past.
It is not the point that we should not go to God with our desires. God is very interested in changing us and enabling us to overcome our sinful habits. We do need to come to him in true repentance, where we confess our sin and plead for mercy. But, God does not just want our repentance. And, he does not just want our obedience. That is what Israel tried to give him, in order to get something from him. God wants our hearts. He wants a living relationship, out of which come repentance and obedience, but for the simple purpose of glorifying him and enjoying him forever.
Otherwise, if we only turn to God out of bomb shelter religiosity, we cannot be surprised when his answer is, No, I will save you no more,
and he withdraws, becomes silent, passive. God always sees the heart. God will not be manipulated. He will not have his grace taken for granted!
6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the LORD and did not serve him.