The Ignorance of Ignoring God.

“I’ve made myself available to those who haven’t bothered to ask. I’m here, ready to be found by those who haven’t bothered to look. I kept saying ‘I’m here, I’m right here’ to a nation that ignored me. I reached out day after day to a people who turned their backs on me, People who make wrong turns, who insist on doing things their own way.” ­– Isaiah 65:1-2 MSG

Ignoring God can be dangerous. And we can do it without even knowing we are. Sometimes we just take Him for granted. We figure He must be there because He’s God and God is everywhere. Other times we simply forget all about Him. We get busy with our lives and just don’t even make Him part of the equation. He becomes an afterthought, someone we think about only if things go wrong or we need something we can’t get on our own. But regardless of how we do it, we all ignore God at times. Which, if you think about it, is a really stupid thing to do. That’s like having electricity available in your home, but living by means of kerosene lanterns and cooking on an old coal stove. A source of power and energy is available to us that would make our lives so much better and easier, but instead we determine to do things the hard way. God told the Israelites “when I called, you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not listen. You deliberately sinned – before my very eyes – and chose to do what you know I despise.” (Isaiah 65:12 MSG). These people willfully disobeyed and disregarded God in their lives. But we do the same thing. God calls us through His Word. He speaks to us constantly through the Spirit-inspired pages of Scripture. But even when we read it, we often choose to ignore what it says. Other times, we simply choose to not read it at all. But that doesn’t change the fact that God has spoken. It doesn’t let us off the hook. We can’t plead ignorance. We can only confess that we have ignored what God has said in His Word.

God warned the people of Israel that He was going to destroy them for ignoring Him. He had had enough. He was going to repay them for their sins. But He would not destroy them all. He would preserve a remnant – a small portion of His people who had remained faithful to Him. He would one day restore them to their land and will one day make them residents in His new heaven and new earth.  But what about us? What happens to us when we ignore God? Are we destined for destruction if we fail to remain faithful? The good news is the Good News. Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, I no longer have to face condemnation and destruction for my sins – if I have placed my faith in Him as my sin substitute. If I have acknowledged Him as my Savior, I am saved from even the sin of ignoring God. But the real question is why I would ever ignore a God who loved me so much. Why would I not listen to someone who has done so much for me? Why would I ever prove unfaithful to one who has proven Himself nothing but faithful time and time again? Why would I not listen when He speaks? Why would I not obey what He tells me to do? Why would I not answer when He calls? Why would I not eagerly want to seek someone who sought me out when I was still a sinner and sent His Son to die in my place?

Ignoring God can be dangerous. For believers it will not end in destruction, but it can end in disappointment, disillusionment and defeat. It can leave us living lives that are nothing like what God has promised. We end up missing out on the joy, peace, contentment and power that God has promised. All because we choose to ignore Him in our daily lives. But we don’t have to ignore God. We can make Him a vital part of our daily lives. We can give Him the prominence and importance He deserves. “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways” (Isaiah 64:4-5 NLT).

Father, forgive me for ignoring You so often. I can so easily leave You out of my day. I can leave You out of my planning and decision-making. I can get so busy living my life that I forget that I would have no life without You. Keep me in Your Word because that is where You speak to me. Help me to listen when You speak and obey what I hear You say. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org