Bringing God along for the ride

By Jessica Brodie As a Christian and a writer (and a Christian writer), I rely on God to show His will and His light through the stories I tell. Whether it’s fiction or journalism, He is always there, always guiding, always taking the reins. He’s in command and control; I have decided He is my captain, and this has made all the difference in the kind of work I produce and the kind of person I’ve become.

Recently, I was chatting with someone who’d made a commitment this Lent to spend more time with God and to get to know God better, on a far more personal level than ever before. I asked how it was going, and he confessed he’d not done so well with it the last few days.

I confess that memorizing Scripture has never been my strong point. But as he shared, I was surprised to realize a verse was thrumming through my mind—pray continually. Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 17).

And without thinking, I blurted something that just won’t let me go, something Spirit-given that I realize now was intended as much for me as it was a message for him. I told him, “Just bring God along for the ride with you.” Think about God here and there throughout the day, I suggested; allow Him to be there in it all with you, to experience it right next to you.

Isn’t that the essence of prayer? Not only asking for help or being thankful (though certainly those are important) but also just being still in God, resting in our faith and in His presence?

See, God wants to be in relationship with us, whatever that means in whatever we experience. He’s supreme, priority, the pinnacle ... and of course in control. And when we allow Him access to every part of us, every nitty-gritty nuance and intimate moment, when we bring Him along for the ride, it opens up something new in our relationship with Him. It breaks down walls and rids our relationship of boundaries.

Today, as I write, as I eat, as I play with my kids or cuddle with my husband, I’m doing my best to keep God right there with us.

I’m finding it’s a richer, deeper way to live and a better way for me to draw closer to the Lord. Try it, and let me know if it does the same for you: jessicajbrodie@gmail.com or comment below.