People who scarcely give God a second thought as they sleepwalk through life are quick to blame God when they suffer unexpected personal loss. Disaster is a wake-up call, and we expect God to be on the other end of the phone answering our questions:
“Why is this happening to me?”
“What have I done to deserve this?”
“Why is God so cruel and uncaring?”
The question rarely asked is, “Why blame God?” A motorist who ignores a large sign warning that the road ahead is unsafe, would be thought strange for blaming the sign when he has an accident. God puts a large “sign” about the consequences of sin in every human heart, yet many think it’s okay to blame God for their “accidents” when they ignore Him.
If God-deniers were honest they would admit that they really don’t want God to run their lives. They like to be in charge—God may be let in only on their terms. But we don’t get to make the rules, we can’t come halfway to God, and we can’t bring junk with us – prejudice and self-righteousness and favorite sins and pride and bitterness and arrogance and ego. The only way to get close to God is to do everything His way. It starts by approaching Him empty-handed after leaving everything we are at the foot of the Cross, willing to admit that something in us is badly broken and God alone can fix it.
Here’s a hint to help get your priorities right: God is the Majestic and Supreme Creator and Ruler of the Universe. He owes us nothing. When we figure that out everything else starts to make sense.
And here’s a gentle rebuke if you claim Jesus Christ as your Savior: you don’t get a free pass when it comes to doing things your way. You have less excuse than an unbeliever for messing things up when you decide that you’re smarter than God. That attitude is guaranteed to get you into trouble, which may explain why things aren’t working out for you.