The Quran

Preface

وَإِذا مَسَّ الإِنسانَ الضُّرُّ دَعانا لِجَنبِهِ أَو قاعِدًا أَو قائِمًا فَلَمّا كَشَفنا عَنهُ ضُرَّهُ مَرَّ كَأَن لَم يَدعُنا إِلىٰ ضُرٍّ مَسَّهُ ۚ كَذٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلمُسرِفينَ ما كانوا يَعمَلونَ

Yusuf Ali

When trouble toucheth a man, He crieth unto Us (in all postures)- lying down¹ on his side, or sitting, or standing. But when We have solved his trouble, he passeth on his way as if he had never cried to Us for a trouble that touched him! thus do the deeds of transgressors seem fair in their eyes!²

Not only do men fail to use their respite: even those who have a superficial belief in God call on Him in their trouble but forget Him when He has relieved their trouble. Their Faith is not strong enough to make them realise that all good proceeds from God. But in moments of trouble they use every position, literally and figuratively, to appeal to Him, (Cf. 39:8).
Those without Faith are selfish, and are so wrapped up in themselves that they think every good that comes to them is due to their own merits or cleverness. That is itself a cause of their undoing. They do not see their own faults, (Cf. 30:33 and 16:53-54).