Thursday, June 28, 2018
Isaiah 55:9 (NIV84) As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
IF I WERE IN CHARGE ...
"I would have pulled that pitcher long before he gave up five runs in one inning." "If I were President, things would be different." "If I were the boss, I would treat my employees far better." Have you said these things? We like to second-guess the decisions of others. We imagine we know better and could do better than many others. Yet the reality is that often we have no idea of all that's involved and, put in the same situation, might do even worse than the person we're criticizing.
But no one is more criticized than God. A woman once told me, "I refuse to believe in a God who will not save good people even if they don't believe in Jesus." Others accuse God of messing up their lives because He hasn't given them all that they have asked for. Many point to wars, poverty, terrorism, and natural disasters as evidence that He is uncaring and unfair. It comes down to: "If I were God, things would be different!" Haven't we felt the same at times?
It's the height of human arrogance to claim that sinners could do better than the holy God in directing the world. "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?'" (Isaiah 45:9 NIV84). To blame God for all the troubles of the world is to deny the sin that brought suffering and death into the world in the first place. To second-guess God is blatant stubbornness to acknowledge that we all have sinned and fall short of His glory.
Rather than to covet being in charge, may we humbly repent of our accusations against God and thank Him for not thinking and acting as we do. For instead of being "fair" and rightfully punishing us with eternal death for our sin, He made Him who had no sin to be sin for us.
We won't always understand the Lord's ways, but may we always trust them and be grateful that He is in charge. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9 NIV84).
