October 23, 2026 Devo

Have you ever had a friend or family member whom you only heard from when they needed something? You know what I mean. They don’t contact you to wish you a happy birthday, or to tell you congratulations when you get a promotion, or to ask how you and the family are doing. They only call when they’re in trouble.
They need help. They need money. They need to borrow your ladder, your mower, or your car. They want you to help them get a job. They want you to help them get their kid out of jail. They want you to solve their problem, fix their situation, or bail them out of some dilemma. What’s funny is that they are often people that you truly like and care about and really wouldn’t mind helping under normal circumstances. But it seems they only want “connection” when they're in trouble. So when you see their name on a phone call or a text or an email, you automatically ask yourself, “I wonder what they need now?”
Sometimes you even feel guilty because you think you shouldn’t feel that way. You ought to WANT to help. But the truth is, you want more than that. You want to feel valued, loved, and cared about in return. Not just used.
That’s what hit me when I read our passage today. God knows that as He takes His Hand of protection and provision off His people because of their disobedience, they’re going to suffer. They are going to make bad decisions, get in over their heads, and begin to suffer. But what God observes is what He’s seen happen over and over again. Trouble is what drives them to come looking for Him. They don’t come because they want HIM. They come to Him because they want what he can do for them. And God, in His Grace, is happy to help them. But God wants more than just to give assistance. He wants CONNECTION. He wants to be loved just as He gives love. I think we miss that sometimes.
I say this because I want you to know that it’s okay to come to God when you’re in trouble. He truly is “our very present help in time of need.” He doesn’t tire of our requests. But I want to challenge you to come earnestly to Him when you’re NOT in trouble. Come to Him just to tell Him how wonderful He is. Come to Him to thank Him for already giving you more than you’ll ever deserve. Come to Him to tell Him what a great friend He is. Come to Him just to worship and praise Him. Come to Him with nothing more on your agenda than to spend time with Him. Let’s not “use” God the way some people might use us. Let’s come to Him in our untroubled times. Because that’s what good friends do. That’s God’s Word for you today.