Blame God - It's Apparently All His Fault

While reading about the recent bus accident involving MercyMe I came across one article that postulated: Why did God allow this to happen?

I have heard that question, and variations thereof, a lot over the last few weeks.

"If God is real, why doesn't He heal me?"
"Why does God allow suffering?"
"Why would a compassionate God destroy the whole earth in a flood?"
"Why didn't He stop it?"
"Doesn't He care?"

People are quick to blame and fault God. A tornado, a hurricane, a flood are all called "Acts of God" even by people who don't believe in God! Apparently the Creator of the universe is at fault for all the ill in the world.

I guess people missed that part of Genesis where sin came into the world because of Adam and Eve.

Of course Job and his friends seemed to say and ask some of the same things. David asks those tough questions as well. David talks quite a bit about how the wicked prosper, the good suffer, etc.

We tend to judge God by our human standards of right, wrong and morality. We blame God when others are at fault. We get angry when God doesn't perform for us like a genie in a bottle. We want God to act like we would act in a situation.

NEWS FLASH: WE ARE NOT GOD!

When Job stood before God he became speechless. He humbled himself before the God of the universe. When Moses met God he was physically and visibly changed. His face shone to the point where he had to cover his face. Peter suffered foot and mouth disease when he offered to build shelters when Jesus was transfigured!

God does not have to answer to us. His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are not our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

It's ok to ask questions. It's ok to wonder. God knows our pain. He hurts with us. However, if God doesn't move when and how we want, we need to remember He is still God! He has a plan we cannot see.

I want to encourage you, if you have doubts express them to God and then leave them at His feet. Worship Him. Love Him. Trust Him!

20 Questions

My Daughter found this little hand held game this week at the Salvation Army. Called 20 questions the game has built in, adaptive artificial intelligence. The more you play the more the game learns. We've been throwing some tough ones at the game and within 20 questions it is getting 80% of our items right. You let the computer know if you are thinking of an animal, vegetable or mineral and it goes from there.

So this game got me thinking about God....

God doesn't need 20 questions to know what is going on in our life! Luke 16:15 says that God knows what's in our hearts. There are actually numerous Scriptures which talk about how God knows us, knows our hearts, etc.

So why do we try to hide things from Him? I remember a man in Croatia, we had a whole conversation about being honest with God. This man was afraid to admit he felt burned out at times. He never wanted to say he got angry with God. He would try to hide/deny these feelings? Why?

God already knows. We don't have to play games with God. He knows if we are angry, frustrated, happy, etc! Look at the Psalms. At least half the Psalms are laments, telling God how the psalmists felt in a situation, about life, etc. Look at Ecclesiastes, Job, etc.

God knows our hearts...let's be honest with Him, talking to Him about our thoughts, feelings, life, etc. He's listening. Share your heart.

My God is So Big!

I chatted with a lady today who had some similar experiences to mine in her early Christian walk. We were chatting about the church and how it responds to adversity. I shared how soon after we became Christians my family hit a financial speed bump and over a period of time lost nearly everything. Being new Christians we were told by many in the church we had somehow sinned and God we punishing us. This lady expressed being told the same thing when adversity hit her life.

Sad isn't it?

I came across a question a while back which burned itself into my mind. What happens when God is bigger than your religion?

It seems to often when bad things happen Christians immediately think someone sinned. Our "religion" tells us all bad things are due to sin. However it just ain't so. I remember the Scripture where Jesus was confronted with a sick man and was asked who sinned, the man or his family? (John 9:2)

I also remember Job...whom God pointed out as righteous and told Satan he was allowed to mess with.

I look constantly in the Scriptures for those apostles who had a cushy, easy life. Still looking. Seems hardship was a given. Does this mean God can't rescue, restore, bless? Absolutely not. God can and does these things. It does mean though that sometimes our religion tells us God only blesses and only prospers and only heals....what happens when He doesn't? Does He stop being God? I believe we try to box God into our comfortable way of thinking about Him. However God is bigger than our religion. He does things the Baptists, Pentecostals, Anglicans, etc... can't justify or handle. He's God. When confronted with something our "religion" can't explain, we need to turn to the Word and look for God to answer it.

If we don't find the answers we are looking for right away, we will find within God's word, plenty of evidence about His character, to remind us that He is always good and that His thoughts are not ours. We will also find there words to challenge us: "Be joyful always..." "Do not be anxious about anything..." "Perfect love casts out fear...," and so many others.

Dig into the Word and let God blow your mind. He is awesome. He is big! He is Holy!

Just A Thought #10

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

I found myself reflecting this past month on how truly awesome God is. With just a word from Him the universe came into being. He spoke the earth into existence. His voice created the stars. He shaped the mountains and the seas with the power of His words. (Genesis 1) This is the God whom we serve.

The Scriptures record how he provided Manna in the wilderness. At His command the sun moved backwards in the sky. He fought for the Israelites! He spoke to Moses through a burning bush. By His words Jesus raised the dead, the blind were healed and the sick restored. This is an awesome God!

So why do we limit Him? The Bible tells us He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) It seems we all limit God to what we feel He can or cannot do. We try to put Him into our own comfortable parameters so that we don't have to deal with the unknown or the uncomfortable. Who are we to say God cannot do this or that? I have heard many God-fearing believers do just that. I have done this myself at times. Oh, not intentionally for sure, but as I become comfortable in my beliefs and viewpoints I begin to, even unconsciously, believe God operates in only those ways or within my own defined parameters. For example I believe God still heals today but have not always felt He could still move the sun back in the sky. Why?

Who am I to limit God? The book of Job ends with God putting Job in his place so to speak. The last few chapters (Job 38-41) record God asking Job where He was when the foundations of the earth were created and it goes on from there. Job realized how small he really was.

God is not to be put into a box. We should not limit the Lord, who created this vast universe we live in. God is limitless. He won't contradict Himself and He never lies. He set the world in place. Are we comfortable enough with God to think outside the box?