“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” ~ John 11:32b
How often do we accuse or blame God when bad things happen? Unfortunately the answer to that question is quite often if we answer honestly. In our scripture focus up above, we see Mary doing the same thing when her brother Lazarus died. You can hear the deep pain and the accusations in her words.
In our own conversations with God, when we are going through tough times, we too say “God if You had (fill in the blank) then (fill in the blank).” “If/then” statements work in mathematical equations, but they do not work in our relationship with God. Next time, why not delete the “if/then” and instead say; “God I don’t understand but I trust You.” … or … “God I believe in You and I choose to rest in You.” By choosing to trust and believe in God instead of choosing to accuse God, your situation already has moved from darkness to light, from pain to peace, from condemnation to freedom.
When we “draw near with confidence to the throne of Grace” it is there “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
Notes from Debbie's Desk 