Most Compassionate King, there have been times in my life when I found myself wondering “why did You let this happen to me?” I guess I was really asking “why didn’t you intervene, Lord?” I know You had the power to do so if You wanted. My questioning could have gone further back in time asking … “why didn’t you stop Adam and Eve from eating the apple in the garden?” … or, “why didn’t you stop David from sinning with Bathsheba?” The answer is really simple: When you made man, You gave him a will of his own. You could have made us all mindless robots. Instead, You made us human beings … more than an animal or animated artificial intelligence. You not only gave me the ability to walk and talk and eat, but You also gave me a mind capable of reasoning and trusted me to use it appropriately. I have no good reason to blame You for my foolish choices and reaping their consequences.
In the wake of my poor choices and not well thought out plans, I find myself hopelessly entangled in the consequences crying out “Lord, have mercy … please come help me out.” Unfortunately, I did not ask You for input before I acted and that’s why I’m paying for my poor choices now. The world You created for me in the beginning was peace-filled … a place of beauty and happiness. It isn’t that way now and I cannot hold You responsible for the bad choices of my forefathers. The sorrow, tears and heartache I experience are the results of my sin and neglect. I am the flawed one and not You. Until I make some changes, I will find confusion, conflict, worry and doubt filling my life. I must wake up and realize that Your way is the right way and, if I follow it, I will produce good with my life. Until I find out for myself that unless my will is conformed to Your Greater Will, my life will be in turmoil.
I believe that in Your awesome power You created the heavens and the earth. I also believe that You gave me life with the hope that I would use my talents wisely, conform my thinking to Yours and become a part of those who want to further Your Kingdom here on earth. I know that You have the power to force me into doing Your will, but that’s not Your style. Freely You’ve given me the ability to make my own choices and freely You accept the fact that they will not always be good ones. Greed, selfishness, slothfulness, doubt and other character flaws cause me to shrink back from doing what is good. The lessons I go through to learn submission, obedience and trusting You help me stifle the inclination to cry out “why Lord?” Instead, my cry will become “praise Your name, O Lord, for You are faithful and true.” And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.