Friday, July 14, 2006

Has God Failed You?


Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:6

[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.   
Hebrews 13:5
 
Have you ever felt like God failed you in an area that you were believing Him to move in, and the outcome just wasn't what you expected from God or His Word (the Bible)?

Some people are so sure they understand every aspect of God and scripture and what He (GOD)has promised them, that they will THINK they can demand God to do something they ask for because they think it is a "clear-cut promise." They THINK they can just claim it and it must happen!

I have even heard people say things along this line, "God if you don't do this, based on the Bible, then you are a liar, and I will no longer believe in you."  While they say they are not being irreverent but holding God to His promises, I think it is quite an irreverent way for a "man" to talk to God.

There are promises in the Bible that I personally have stood on and they never came to past. Maybe it was for someone's healing, or for a job, etc, But you know if it doesn't turn out the way we expected, the fault is not with God being a liar (what a terrible way to think) but with our FINITE mind not understanding what God was doing in a given circumstance.

One thing is for sure God did NOT fail us. The bottom line is that we misinterpreted scripture and God's will in a given situation. 

I like the strong words found in Romans 9:20 " Nay but O man [MERE MAN IN COMPARISON TO GOD],
who art thou that repliest [ANSWER, QUESTION, DISPUTE, ARGUE, CONTRADICTS] against God. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?"

Also we see the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY correct Job on this very attitude in Job 40:2 - "Shall he [Job] that contendeth [FINDS FAULT, ARGUES] with the Almighty instruct [HAVE THE ANSWER FOR] Him?..." Job saw how wrong his attitude was and in verse 4 properly answered the LORD with, "Behold I am vile; what shall I answer Thee? I lay mine hands upon my mouth."

Boy can I relate to Job! I have needed to put my hand(s) over my mouth and repent of some attitudes and words I felt when God didn't do it the way I expected Him to.

Do you, for a moment, think God knew less than you what was best in a given situation, or why something happened and He didn't seem to intervene?

Do I have all the answers to all what happens around me and you? - NO!

But at least we need to NOT blame God or get upset with Him.

In the future when you stand before God and He reveals Himself in ALL your past situations, you sure will wish you had just trusted the LORD with that situation and just moved on!

We must realize our understanding of things is limited.
As I Cor. 13:12 states, "For now we see through a glass, darkly {obscurely, blurred]; but then face to face, now I know in part [fragmentary fashion, incompletely]; but then shall I know [fully, completely] even as also I am known."

Only in eternity, face-to-face with the LORD, will it all be crystal clear.

As we think on the words in today's devotion and the scripture passages referenced, let us look inside our hearts to see if we have have a wrong view of God and of those circumstances that we just don't understand. 

Today, by faith, GIVE them to the LORD and LEAVE them with the LORD, and MOVE ON with God's plan for you.

TRUST Him with them, and someday in this life, or more LIKELY in the life to come, He will make all those things crystal clear.

Just remember God has NOT failed you and He NEVER, NEVER, NEVER will!

AMEN!