I confess, as embarrassing as it may be, that there have been difficulties in my life that drove me away from God. My prayer life went silent like a dropped cellphone call. The dust collected on the cover of my Bible between Sundays as I would not open it. I did not speak of God unless necessary.
What had happened in my life is what happens to others. My difficulties turned me against God. I had concluded that God was responsible for my difficulty and I didn't want anything to do with Him anymore. Even more tragic, I concluded that I didn't deserve the difficulties that God had thrust upon me. I let my hardships turn me against the only person who could comfort, strengthen, encourage, and see me through whatever situations I faced.
There were definitely times that the hardships and struggles were not of my own doing. Either because of sin in general that has broken the world or the specific sin of an individual in my life, I faced hard times as a result. This, however, was not always the case.
My immaturity didn't always allow me to see that some of the hard times came as a result or consequence of my own doing. I blamed God for what I had brought upon myself. I expected God to allow me to do what I desired without any issue, even if it ran contrary to His will and purpose.
Regardless of when and how the hard times came, I found myself responding to God as if He had done something wrong. No matter if it was a consequence of my own disobedience or the difficulties that affected me from another person's struggles and life, I usually responded as though I thought the Christian life should not be riddled with such things. And tragically my worship of the Creator God who had rescued me out of the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light just went cold. Even now, there must be a constant guard against allowing the circumstances of life to create such a travesty.
As I continue reading through the life and reign of David, king of Israel, I read of David's actions after confronted about his adultery with Bathsheeba. He did repent and seek God's grace and mercy. But then God told David that a consequence for his act of disobedience was that the child born through this act of adultery would not live. Instead of running from God, David ran to God. He fasted and prayed. He laid on the ground in sackcloth through the nights and he would eat nothing.
God did strike the child with illness and he died. When David asked the attendants told David the baby had died, he got up off the ground, washed and changed his clothes. It is hat he did next that convicted me.
He went into the house of the Lord and worshiped.
This is not how I often respond when things don't go as I planned or when I believe or know God to have done contrary to what I wanted or asked. But it is a great challenge to me that in whatever I face I would worship Christ my King because He is worthy.
The circumstances of our lives do not change the worth of God. When the difficulties of my life keep me from worshipping God, it isn't that God has changed. He remains the same forever. There is no way to improve upon perfection and God is perfect.
Is there anything keeping you from worshipping God today?
Take a Daniel moment:
1. Adore God for who He is, what He does, and the character with which He does it.
2. Celebrate that God never changes though everything else may change.
3. Repent of any known sin. Ask God to reveal any hidden sin.
4. Acknowledge any sin or circumstance that has hindered your worship of God.
5. Spend time worshipping Him.
