ICS Daily Devotions
Are You Blaming God?
Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV) I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
When we find ourselves in our valleys of life, there are many reasons why we don’t look to God for help. Apart from self-pity and pride, one reason is resentment against God, but unless we get clear on who is the source of our trial, test, and tribulation, we won’t be able to release our faith to trust in God and ask for His help.
When we are in distress, a natural reaction is to blame God for allowing it to happen in our lives. Although many people may acknowledge the sovereignty of God, they fail to differentiate the source of their trial, test, and tribulation, because one way the devil deceives us is through the lack of knowledge of his existence. Resentment will cause us to blame God, run away from Him or rebel against Him instead of running to Him for help. Knowingly or unknowingly, we have rejected God as our helper and accused Him as an instigator, in cahoots with the devil to allow bad things to happen in our lives.
Many Christians are bitter and resentful against God because they have been deceived by the devil into thinking that God enjoys seeing them in misery. Their identities are more in their “doing” as servants of God than their “being” the children of God. Far from the loving Father that He is, they see God more as a judge who is ever ready to give out punishment for the mistakes they make, and a tyrant who is never satisfied with their performance. However, nothing is further from the truth.
Romans 5:1-3 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance.
The truth is that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. When we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and know that we have no part to play in the righteous position given to us, we will come to rest in His love. Because we have been justified by faith and have peace with God, there is no animosity between God and us. We have access into His presence to find help and mercy in time of need, and access to His grace which sustains our hearts when we feel downtrodden and in despair.
As mature believers who can rightly divide the Word and know that it is the devil who throws tribulation into our lives to steal the Word, we will have no trouble looking up to God for help, because we know that He is good and His mercy endures forever.
Sermon Series: We Have an Unwavering Help and Support from the Lord
