I once read in a church bulletin the admonition, “When your knees knock, kneel on them.” No doubt there is some wisdom in that prescription, not to mention the salutary effect which that kind of prayer might occasion. On the other hand, such activity has led too many to search for one contemporary theologian described as a “God in the gaps.”

Like many children, when growing up, I often called upon God during moments of anxiety and panic when other solutions had failed. When I heard a bump in the night or when a math test loomed ahead, I often resorted to shooting “arrow prayers” toward a God who I vaguely believed would do something to assist me provided, of course, that He wasn’t too busy with more important heavenly business.

To be completely honest, I find that I still engage in this slippery kind of spiritual footwork from time to time, and the results are uniformly unsatisfying. If we turn to God only when we feel frustrated or afraid, our faith is bound to have a crisis orientation, and the God of our expectations becomes a kind of spiritual Mr. Fix-it. One might argue that such an understanding is better than none at all, but how sad it is to settle for so little.

Our faith grows strong when we are able-indeed, disciplined enough-to give thanks, to offer praise, and to acknowledge God’s presence and providence when the sailing is smooth and the road is clear. God asks to be Lord of all of our life, not just those corners of crisis with which we don’t know what else to do. Searching for God in the gaps of life may give momentary comfort, but it does little to weave that fabric of faith which can support and transform all of life.