Best of the Best: Whose Fault Is It?

I've been reading recently about great men and women of God from history. As I read their stories, I find myself saying, "Boy, I sure wish God worked like that today. Wouldn't it be nice if He spoke to me the way He spoke to them?"

This morning, the Lord smote my heart about that. He reminded me that He is a God who never changes. He reminded me that He is a God who is not a respecter of persons. He reminded me that I have the same opportunities to hear His voice and see His work as the men and women of old did. The difference? I'm not listening, and I'm not paying attention.

Did you ever notice how easy it is to be upset when things don't go right? We fuss. We complain. We argue. But, how about the times when things DO go right? Do we stop and praise the Lord for working things out? Do we have a worship service right then and there? Do we tell others about how the Lord met our needs? Sometimes, but mostly we just go on about our day, not even taking notice of the things that went smoothly. We are unobservant and ungrateful people.

I'm reminded of an old Southern Gospel song called, "Who Moved?" It basically says that if we don't like the current state of our spiritual lives, it's our own fault, not God's. He hasn't moved. We have. If we feel distant from God, it's because we've gone our own way instead of following in His footsteps. If we can no longer hear His voice, it's because we've surrounded ourselves with too much noise. If we can't see Him working, it's because we're too distracted to notice.

God hasn't changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Neither does God play favorites. He doesn't decide that He's going to spend more time with this child or that child. The amount of time we spend with God is up to us, not Him. He's always there waiting for us. He's always available to us. He welcomes our fellowship. He'll never turn us away. He wants to hear from us. He wants to speak to us. He wants to comfort us. And, He wants to work in our lives.

So, if our spiritual life seems a little dry, whose fault is it? We have access to the water of life.
If our pathway seems dark, whose fault is it? We should be walking with the Light of the world.
If life no longer holds happiness, whose fault is it? Christ is our joy and the source of our song.
If we feel we can't go on, whose fault is it? The Lord should be our strength.

You see? It's not that God is not available to us. It's simply that we are not making use of God's full potential. We've trusted in Him to save us, but we're not trusting in Him to keep us safe. We've trusted Him as the way of salvation, but we're not trusting Him to lead us in the way of life. We've trusted in Him for eternal security, but we're not trusting in Him for day to day security.

God is waiting for us. Whether or not we choose to avail ourselves of all that He has to offer is up to us. So, if we're not feeling His presence in our lives, whose fault is it?

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. - James 4:8