Is God Misunderstood?

A Short Devotion from Reasons for Hope*Jesus

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Do we sometimes have things backward? Do we throw God under the bus? We come up with excuses but reframe them…basically blaming Him.

We say:
-It’s not the right time – when it’s really our fear and lack of faith
-I just can’t get the victory in this area- when we need to humble ourselves and fear the LORD
-God will provide -when we’re just being plain lazy
-I don’t sense God’s leading in this -when we just don’t want to do it
-I’m waiting on God to show me -when we’re not willing to step out in faith doing what we know to be right
-I don’t have a peace about it – when we’re not diligently praying and seeking His will
-God’s silent so He must be ok with what I’m doing — when it’s really Him being long-suffering and merciful with us
-God is angry with me or must be punishing me when bad things happen— when in reality, He loves us unconditionally. We live in a broken world where good and bad things happen to everyone

The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 1:7 says the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Do we have a healthy fear of God? Just like we do with other authority figures such as a parent, teacher, police officer…..we have a healthy fear, a respectful regard for them, keeping in mind that if I cross the line, I know I will have consequences. Now, we’re not terrified of our loving Heavenly Father but we should be reverently cautious not to cross those lines knowing we will grieve His heart as well as reap unwanted consequences. The term for those who “fear the LORD” is also synonymous with those who know Him; we use it interchangeably when we say those “God-fearing people” we’re referring to His followers.

Trust and Obey

What is God’s Part and what is My Part? We OFTEN confuse the two. There are things that are our responsibility and things that are God’s. The Bible teaches that our part is to trust and obey God. God’s part is to work in our lives, which He promises to do.

Let’s say you are looking for a job. It will not do you any good to sit on the couch all day and hope/pray for a job. You must be out there looking, networking, applying and preparing for interviews. Then you can trust God to open the right opportunities and close the wrong ones. God has closed doors on opportunities that I thought were great, only to open the door to a better one. So I learned to do my part and to leave the results with Him.

How are you misinterpreting your situation? Are you doing your part and trusting God to do His? Ask God to shed light on your situation and to correct your thinking. As you daily read the Bible, you are opening up your mind to His thinking and allowing His Spirit to guide you.