But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deuteronomy 4:29

 
Every now and again my five year old daughter will wake up in the middle of the night and crawl into my bed.  Not an uncommon thing – my son went through a similar phase when he was younger, and I’m sure many of your kids did the same.  For most kids, this is just a security thing – being with a parent as they sleep makes the night shorter, the room is not as dark, and is a total buzzkill for the monster living under the bed.  Kids love it. 

 
On the other hand, parents are often far less enthusiastic about it.  More often than I care to admit, I have been roused from a peaceful night’s sleep by a little, squirming frame jostling for position like a Greco-roman wrestler in pursuit of Olympic gold.  I’ve been kicked, punched, head butted, and boxed out.  Any chance for a good night’s sleep is gone, Advil sales and chiropractor visits soar, and the child wakes up in the morning happy and content, wondering why you look so tired and in pain.

 
My daughter is guilty of many of these nighttime attacks upon my health and well being, but there’s another element that she brings that is noteworthy.  Throughout the night, she will lie in bed, totally zonked out.  Without waking, without fussing or moving any more muscles than is absolutely necessary, she will reach out her arm to touch me.  Why does she do this?  To make sure I’m still there.  She’s not ready to wake, doesn’t need to talk to me, isn’t scared or wigging out, just wanting the reassurance that her Father has not left her.

 
And that got me to thinking…

 
As Christians, we can learn a lot from our children.  In this instance, she needed the peace of knowing that her Father was near.  For too many of us, we only seek the Father at the peak times of our life.  When a loved one dies or a new member of your family is born, we don’t need to be reminded to pray.  Wedding days are filled with prayer.  So too are days spent in marriage counseling.  These peaks and valleys are easy reminders to us to give thanks and seek help from our heavenly father.  But are we doing this enough?  Like my daughter, do we ever just reach out and connect with our Father, making sure that He’s still there, even when we don’t have fear or celebration driving us to do so?

 
The Bible is filled with reminders for us to seek the Lord with the sure knowledge that we will find Him.  He is there, always within reach, waiting for us to come to Him with anything and everything we desire – even if all we need is to just make sure that He’s still there.  So thank Him that you woke up this morning on time and feeling refreshed, and if you didn’t then thank Him for the cup of coffee that helped you overcome it.  Just find random times today to check in with Him.  Keep it simple:  “Help me Father,”  “Thanks,”  “Be with her,” “You are awesome.” 

 
He’ll hear you, because He’s there.  Just reach out and see.