Either we have God or we don’t.
Either he is our ally, or we are on our own. What you believe about this affects everything else.
If you don’t have God—and I mean as an intimate ally, right by your side—you must do your best to figure out a path for your life. This is of course how most men live. The entire world is based upon this assumption—universities, markets, career fields, economies. I have no counsel to give you here, for I have rejected that view of the world and cannot tell you much of how it works or how to outwit it. I reject the premise the whole house of cards is built on.
“There is a God; he is our Father” changes everything.
Now, let me add quickly that when I say “believing in God” I’m not referring to a casual acknowledgment of his existence. If you do have God, you must act like it. For he does not lend his help to those who take him casually—just as you don’t offer the treasures of your friendship to those who take you casually. You must seek him with all your heart so that you might discover his help, align yourself with where and how he is moving, and take advantage of all he is bringing you.
God promised us, “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” (Deut. 4:29). However, there is a condition in that promise: if you seek him with all your heart and soul. Most Christians forget that part, and then wonder why God doesn’t seem to be more present in their lives.