“If God is for us, who can be against us?” This question is asked in Romans 8:31.

Truly, if God is for us, then nobody could stand against us. God is Almighty God, the creator, and Ruler of the universe. Even Satan, the arch enemy of God, has only the power allotted to him by God Almighty and must bow to the power of God (Job 1:9-12).

Who can be against us? God himself can be against us.

In the Old Testament, it’s recorded that the children of Israel were led out of Egypt by God’s mighty power. God was leading them to Canaan, the promised land. There was opposition in Canaan in the form of strong, walled cities and mighty warriors. The majority of the people of Israel did not believe in God’s power to help them and resisted God’s direction to conquer Canaan. The result was that those people could not enter the land. All were to die in the desert, and only their descendants would occupy the land (Numbers 14:28-30). God told them, in Numbers 14:34, “you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.” God was against them because they disbelieved in his power.

It may be that we are living in a way that God is neither directly for us nor directly against us. That way would be described as living a good life, but independent of God. We go about our lives not being particularly wicked, acknowledging the existence of God, but also not really paying much attention to him. As we live good moral lives, we have some expectation that God will bless us just because we are not as bad as some other people we know.

God can be neutral about us. There is still the overwhelming love of God, the providence of God, and the goodness of God, but we may not have entered into that special circle where God is actively for us.

This stature of God is illustrated in the book of Numbers 10: 8-9. God told the people to make some silver trumpets that the priests were to blow on certain occasions. One occasion was when they were in battle against an enemy. God said that when you are in a battle, blow the trumpets. “Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies” (v. 9b).

Had God forgotten about them? No, but He wanted them to acknowledge Him and cry out in their need.

God wants to be asked; He is waiting to be asked. James 4:8, declares, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God gives this order: He says humble yourselves, pray, seek my face, turn from your wicked ways. Then God says, “Then will I hear from heaven.”

Does not God hear everything? Does not God know everything? He does, but he delights in our acknowledging him and crying out to him.

So, lest we find ourselves living in vain expectations, let us seek hard after the living God of heaven and implore him for the blessings that he is waiting to pour out on us.

The Rev. Dan Puckett is a minister with Life Action Ministries.