Who you gonna call?

Can I brag to you for a second about one of my friends? I have a lot of super amazing friends who are always there for me, encourage me and lift me up in the hard times and friends who love the Lord deeply. But this friend, has all of those things paired with a maturity in her faith unlike anyone else I know. I love the wisdom and insight she brings when I talk to her. Last week, I reached out to Jackie for help. She went through something very similar to the situation I've found myself in and unable to get myself out of. It's much easier to talk to someone who understands what I am going through, so I tend to bother her a lot :) She didn't respond right away, I got a message from her a couple days later explaining she was at a conference and she asked "Did you and Jesus figure it out?" Frankly, I was a little annoyed for about 30 seconds at her question but the Lord changed my heart and convicted me. 

I don't know if Jackie intentionally waited to answer me hoping that I would seek the Lord first before she offered her insight, or if she was just busy and asked that question to check and see if I was feeling better. But either way, God used it to teach me a lesson. Ever since I arrived in Korea, I've been dealing with new emotions I haven't felt before. The Lord is absolutely increasing my dependence on Him but this past Sunday He reminded me of the consequences when we don't seek Him first. 

We studied the passage from 2 Kings chapter 1 where God judges Ahaziah. In verse 2, Ahaziah falls and injures himself. He sends a messenger to ask Baal-Zebub (which I learned means Lord of the flies) if he would recover from his injury. Then, an angel of the Lord appears to Elijah and tells him to relay the following message to the messenger, "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?" The words the angel gave Elijah were so powerful. Just as Jackie asked "Did you and Jesus figure it out?" God was saying "I'm right here to help you!"

It made me think about how many times in moments of varying emotions, I've reached for my phone to call or text a friend. Prayer and crying out to the Lord are always part of the equation but sometimes, I cry out to the Lord in prayer after I've called one of my girlfriend to cry or vent to them. Chapter one ends with Ahaziah's death, not just because of this incident but because of his continued disobedience to God. Granted, you probably won't die immediately after calling a friend instead of calling on God but He will be hurt and disappointed. And I don't know about you but death for me doesn't sound as bad as knowing I have disappointed my Heavenly father.  

As you read this, I want you to know that I've prayed for the readers of this blog. I've prayed that the Lord will open your eyes to a growing dependence on Him, that He will change your heart to always cry out to Him first. He knows what you are going through before it happens and I believe He puts us in these situations because He desires a connection with us and wants us to depend on him and deepen our relationship with Him.