Every so often, we all find ourselves in a situation that’s over our heads. We’ve taken on more than we can handle, then realized we got ourselves in trouble. We can either ask God for help, or try to handle the issue ourselves. The decision we make here determines whether we succeed or fail.

Plenty of people think they can lead successful lives without God. We’re in the midst of a time when atheism is leading people to a mindset that accepts secular humanism. The world exalts the “self-made man.” However, this way of thinking is dangerous and leads us in the wrong direction. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God...” (Psalm 14:1).

When life is going good and we’re sailing along, it’s foolish to think that we’re responsible for our own success. Things beyond our control can go sour without warning, and we can find ourselves in trouble despite all the precautions we may have taken. The same people who deny God’s existence may be the very ones to call on His name in a life-or-death situation. God is God, in good times and bad. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10, NKJV).

Our external environment is a noisy, confusing place, in which we hear competing voices saying different things. It can seem like whoever yells the loudest is the person who’s right, but appearances can be deceiving. We may think we’re on the right track when we receive approval from others, only to find out later it wasn’t the right way at all. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). God is trying to tell us the way to true happiness and success, but we may not be listening.

God loves us and wants to get involved in every aspect of our lives. However, He won’t force the issue; He leaves it up to us to decide if we’ll accept or reject Him. Just in case we get confused and we’re about to make the wrong choice, He gives us a broad hint. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20, NLT). Our lives are profoundly affected by God’s presence or absence.

The choices we make now determine what happens later. Therefore, as free moral agents, we need to choose wisely. Life has too many variables and unknowns for us to succeed without relying on God. We don’t ever have to be afraid to trust Him when we don’t know which way to go. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).

It’s easy to trust God and look for Him when we know He’s real. “…Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6, NLT). The question today is whether we really need God. The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”