Seeking God Through the “Little” Consistencies

By Genesis Vanderhorst

Being on fire for God is one of the best feelings ever! There’s no feeling like going from a valley season to a mountaintop season.

Life’s puzzle pieces start to click in ways that make sense, pushing your faith and trust in Jesus to new highs, where the sky is the limit. What once were gray skies now shine with sunny days that bring an indescribable joy to accompany them. Rainy days give way to seeds that are sprouting and flourishing in good soil. You feel reassured by God that the bland and dim seasons of life were in fact, not in vain, but were for a purpose served for your good and His glory. It is an experience that reassures you that God is near and that He always knew what He was doing. It fortifies your thoughts and beliefs about the good God we serve.

But what happens when, because we are human, we begin to descend from the spiritual high we get from being on fire for God? How do we begin to nurture that trust, faith, and growth we experienced on the mountaintop when life goes back to normal? Beloved friend, it is also in these moments that God desires the same closeness with us that we felt on the mountaintop, if not even more. He is just as near now as He was then. These moments require intentional relationship-building that starts from a few “little” consistencies. In this article, we will dive a little bit into what those consistencies may look like for you.

I’m not sure about you, but when I have experienced the descent back to normal life and routines, I’ve felt guilty for not desiring to read my Bible or pray as much, and I end up giving God the scraps of my time, instead of the firstfruits. It is a different sort of shock. Life gets busy, and you feel that you’re no longer worthy to be in God’s presence because you don’t give as much of yourself to Him as you once did because seasons change.

Yet, what if I told you that God already knew that this would happen? What if I said that God desires for you to seek Him in every season, not just the great ones? In fact, I dare say that these normal parts of life are where we spend most of our time on our walk with the Lord, which is an opportunity to grow more with the Lord. Seeking God by being consistent in the “little” things will draw you closer to God as He draws closer to you (James 4:8).

Prayer

It is the simple exchange of thoughts between you and God. There are many different types of ways to pray, but one thing is for sure: Matthew 6:5–14 tells us that “when” we pray it should be an act of intimate communication with the Lord. I love that Jesus saying “when” means He is actually giving us a command.

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 “Seeking God by being consistent in the ‘little’ things will draw you closer to God as He draws closer to you (James 4:8).”

Prayer is not optional! I’ve heard it said that relationships die when there is poor communication or no communication. There are so many things to mention about prayer, but it is important to keep in mind that prayer is not a formal speech. It’s an honest conversation between your genuine self and El Shaddai (God Almighty). The key words are “honest conversation,” meaning you should be honest in what you talk to the Lord about, and then you should allow Him the time and space to speak back to you. Talk to Him about everything, no matter how big or small it seems!

Can I let you in on a little secret? He cares about your hair, and the shirt you lost. He also cares about the bad day you had, and the exciting new promotion you got. He wants to hear from you, and He also has some things He’d like to share with you.

Reading the Word of God

It’s hard to know God’s thoughts when you don’t know His voice. Trust me. I’ve been there.

How can you make the right decision when the pressures of ordinary life keep throwing voices into the mix? Reading the Word of God is getting to know His steadfast voice. It is to be partnered with prayer daily.

Psalm 1 tells us that those who meditate on God’s law day and night are blessed. Intentionally seeking His voice by reading the Bible will give you the assurance that the same God who is all throughout the Bible stories from long ago is the same God who is listening to your prayers, wants a relationship with you, and has good plans in store for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

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 “It’s hard to know God’s thoughts when you don’t know His voice. Trust me. I’ve been there.”

Fasting

One of the most difficult disciplines is so rewarding. Simply put, fasting is temporarily denying your flesh of its desires by abstaining from something that is prioritized in your life (typically food). By doing this, your flesh submits to your spirit, which in turn, submits to God’s Spirit.

It is important to note that fasting is not starving yourself from something. Reading the Bible, prayer, and worship should replace the time that would normally be used to do that “something” or replace your eating time.

Jesus commands us to fast in Matthew 6:16–18 when he states “when” we fast. This is also not an optional practice. It is going to be uncomfortable because…. well, it’s meant to be uncomfortable for your body.

I love that Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Friend, God does not leave us hanging when we are weak in pursuit of Him. It is a unique opportunity to lean on Him and call on the Name who loves showing up for us. He wants to partner with you to be the strength you lean upon. The blessings that come from fasting will always outweigh the temporary discomfort our body experiences!

Giving

Simply put, giving to God burns the greed inside of us. Giving also demonstrates gratitude to the Lord. Believe it or not, in Matthew 6:2–4, Jesus uses the word “when” when He talks about giving to the needy, which is a command. In verses 19-24 of the same chapter, Jesus talks about the importance of killing financial and material greed.

God loves and appreciates when we don’t withhold anything from Him. That includes our finances. This is not to say that God is against wealth or is for poverty, but it is to say that Jesus made a point when He said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). In other words, we are commanded to give all of ourselves to God.

Living Sacrificially

All of these practices and disciplines can be summed up in one word, sacrifice. Whether we are in the mountain season, valley season, or in the normal-in-between season of life, we are called to live sacrificially according to that season.

Sacrifice is not a one-size-fits-all-seasons action. It looks different in every stage of life we go through. Sometimes sacrifice seems smaller or larger compared to other stages of life, but the important thing to focus on is that we listen to the Voice that calls us to sacrifice, so that we know how to live that out.

We are not sacrifices in vain, but we are called to be living sacrifices. And with Romans 12:1–2, I will close, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
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