When bad things happen, my tendency is to turn to God with accusations in my heart asking, “Why?!”
It’s funny — I don’t do the same thing when good things happen.
Today’s verse says this reaction is exactly backwards. God is only to be given credit for good things in my life, not bad.
Prior to today’s verse, James explains that temptation and evil do not come from God. They are birthed from my own selfish desires, encouraged to grow into sin by the devil, and would ultimately, if it weren’t for Jesus, end in death.
But when bad things happen, I rarely look to my own choices, the choices of other people, or the devil running wild in a greedy, fallen world.
God is not at fault. He is love. He is good. Everything He does is good. He doesn’t change. He is always good. Everything good in my life is because of Him.
So why do I blame God for the bad stuff?
When a child is killed in a car accident, I ask God why.
The only thing He’s guilty of is giving us freedom. He gave someone freedom to choose to drink and drive that day. And He gave people freedom to choose to invent vehicles capable of causing such tragedies. It breaks His heart to watch our choices knowing their consequences, but He loves us so much that He is willing, for now, to let us suffer the consequences of our choices. But because of Jesus, His mercy will one day put an end to even those consequences. Evil will be wiped away for good.
Dear God,
Thank you for your faithful love and consistent goodness. Thank you for the many, many things in my life that are good! Forgive me for blaming you for the bad things in my life and in the world. Show me my culpability when I can make changes or better choices. I appreciate the freedom you’ve given me to make those choices. But I so look forward to the day when evil no longer exists.
CamDevo 