Before We Call

I had an appointment this week, and I was watching the clock to make sure I had just enough time to get to the meeting place I had agreed to with my brother.  We were going to meet at my closest freeway exit as he traveled past on his way home up country. 

It was time to go ... and I hesitated on what jacket I should wear.  I took my heavier jacket and then, deciding that it had warmed up considerably I decided on my lighter jacket instead.   Before I hung up my heavier jacket I did something that I really had no reason for doing.
I put my hand in one of the jacket's many pockets and to my utter surprise my hand closed around my car keys!
I did not remember putting them in my pocket - I always put them back into my purse.
Had I not found them by accident, I would have searched my purse... and then, the house, not knowing where in the world I could have left them.  My husband was not home, so I could not have borrowed his.
Had I not found my keys, I would have missed my rendezvous.

What immediately came to mind was a scripture verse...
Isaiah 64:24 "....Before they call, I will answer...."

I was spared that panicky feeling in not finding my keys where I expected them to be...and then not knowing where to look for them.   I found them even before I knew they were 'missing'.
God truly answered before I called out to Him for help.

I offered up a grateful  'thank-you!' to the Lord for His goodness. 
But as I pondered how God had answered before I called....I wondered ... How often does God answer before I call and I don't even notice? 
Maybe that is why God usually waits until we DO call.  Until we are desperate and call out to Him for help, too often God's answer/intervention is ignored or dismissed as co-incidence.

God's heart is expressed in His heart-cry ... "O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and his wonderful works to the children of men!"  Psalm 107:31
Is God looking for praise to fill His own need?  No, God wants us to acknowledge His Presence,  and goodness because it is good for US .. The more we recognize and acknowledge Him the closer we grow in fellowship and the more we depend on Him - which pleases Him because then He can pour out more goodness upon us, on whom He has poured out His love !

What if we flip the 'take-for-granted' that we are so good at!  ...
What if  instead of taking for granted that we can take care of ourselves, until we hit a crisis-moment that will move us to call out for God's help ... what if we  take-for-granted that God is in the moments of our day .. helping, intervening, managing details in such a way to make our day as 'perfect as possible' ?   
Would our day play out differently ?  Would it change our attitudes?   Would it make the day a delight?   Would we have more God-stories to share in conversation ?

Truly... God is not a far-off God but one who desires to be intimately involved in our lives -- He just waits to be invited and noticed !