The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 2 Chronicles 15:1–4 WEB.

We were driving into town to buy some groceries one day when I felt the car gradually getting lower on the right side. Then, it started to pull towards the shoulder of the road, and the steering became sluggish. I pulled over to the side of the road to check things and found the passenger side rear tire had gone down. The tire was new, but apparently, the valve stem was leaking.

I hadn't thought about a spare tire in a long time, but we sure needed it now. It's one of those things that you tend to forget about until you need it. Fortunately, I opened the trunk and found the spare was fine. Before long, I had the tire changed, and we were on the road again.

Israel would backslide away from God. Then when in distress, they would turn back to Him and cry for His help. God would forgive them, and once things began to go well for them again, they would backslide again. They just loved to chase after other gods. Likewise, when things are going well for us, we often forget about God. We can begin to treat Him like a spare tire that is there if we need Him.

Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21 WEB). Many will profess to know Jesus but will not submit to His leadership, and one day, He will separate the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32).

Don't just pray to the Lord when you are in distress. Involve Him in your life every day, and build that close relationship. Remember Him, especially when things are going well for you. When you have ignored Him for three years, He may still answer you, but you miss out on the greatest experience on earth, which is knowing Him. Don't treat God Almighty like a spare tire.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for a wonderful day. Please speak to me and through me today, Lord. Inspire me to be a better person. Help me see what others miss. Make what is important to You important to me. I want a closer relationship with You today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” James 5:13 ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network. If you are interested in joining the prayer team, here is how to get started Prayer Partners.