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This Week's Scripture & Reflection: Proverbs 19:3
God receives so much blame for so many events and circumstances in our world. People often do this when they are trying to make sense of a disappointing, tragic, or even confusing occurrence. While God, in His sovereignty, does allow certain events to occur that may not make sense or even sit well with us, we often fail to address the many instances in which we blamed God for certain situations that we caused due to our own foolishness.
Proverbs 19:3 declares that “A person’s own foolishness leads him astray, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” The Amplified Bible adds that “for, being a fool, he blames the Lord instead of himself.” If we were honest with ourselves, many of the difficult and frustrating situations we have experienced in our lives can be traced back to instances in which we outright rebelled against God and His Word. We failed to heed to His warnings, which then led us into predicaments and irreversible circumstances. And so, in our effort to escape assuming responsibility for our own disobedience, which is in fact foolish, and the resulting consequences, we blamed God, cowardly trying to make Him the scapegoat when we were truly at fault from the beginning.
One of the greatest gifts God has blessed humanity with is choice! The numerous decisions we make from day to day, year to year, hour to hour compose the lives that we live. Knowing that His creation would need help navigating the course of this life, God gave us His Word, which is filled with instructions and principles stemming from infinite wisdom. He also gave His Holy Spirit to those who receive Him through Jesus Christ; He is our Helper, Comforter, and Advocate. Though God has provided so much to assist us in walking this life, we must still choose to obey Him and follow His leading. We cannot justifiably rage against God in our hearts when we fail to heed to His instructions.
A mature individual assumes responsibility for a poor decision made and the consequences that follow. A mature believer not only assumes responsibility for poor decisions made and the subsequent consequences, but also confesses them to the Lord and repents by turning away from their foolish pride and submitting to the infinite wisdom of God in obedience. While we cannot escape all the trouble that exists in this life, there are certain experiences we can avoid by heeding to the voice of the Lord.
