I find the term ‘OMG!’ or ‘Oh my God!’ to be upsetting, ironic and sad in almost equal measures. We hear or see it all the time – on TV, in the media and in conversations all around us. As a Christian who believes in God, who believes that God is our creator and loves us, I find this upsetting because let’s face it – this phrase is not used as a term of endearment. Generally speaking, it’s used to highlight surprise or anger – to draw attention to the emotions of the speaker.

The wise man Solomon once said “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”  (Ecclesiastes 5:2 NIV) This indicates our position in respect to God, and that we should be very careful how we behave – especially in relation to God Himself.

The irony comes in when we consider that many people who indulge in this phrase don’t believe in God or have any respect for Him at all. And yet the very term speaks not only of His existence, but also of a supposed relationship between the speaker and God –‘O my God’.

And at this point I feel sad that in fact He isn’t ‘my God’ to most people. What a wasted opportunity! The Bible tells us that God wants everyone to be saved – in other words He wants everyone to truly acknowledge Him as THEIR God.“This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4 NIV)

The ‘saved’ referred to in this verse is about having the chance to live forever, instead of just growing old and eventually dying. In the end, dramatic exclamations become old and useless too, because we’re all going to the same place without God in our lives.

But it’s possible to use this phrase in a good way, in a way that’s pleasing to God – and in a way that gives us a chance to be saved.  “O Lord my God, in You I put my trust…” (Psalm 7:1 NIV)