“I form the light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7 ESV)

This verse addresses God’s supreme authority over all things—including judgment and hardship.  We live in a world where bad things happen to good people.  Where good things happen to good and bad people.  Life is life.  We forget that God created all things, which includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.

And because of this; when bad things happen and we get hurt by others, we might try to blame God!  We might quit talking to God because of the hurt others have caused us. We tend to blame God for the yuckiness of life.  When life does not go our way.

Blame means to hold someone or something responsible for a fault, wrong, or mistake. In 2004 I was hurt by the church, which happens.  I blamed God for what happened to me.  I quit talking to Him.  I did not share with others my love of God, because I was hurting.  I kept my pain and hurt, to myself.  What I couldn’t do was acknowledge to myself nor others that God did not do anything to me.  People did. But I had to blame someone, and God was the easiest to blame.

I have been told by others, that they quit talking to God because a loved one died.  I have been told by others, that they quit talking to God because of abuse that was done to them.  I have been told by others, that they quit talking to God because God did not fix the problem the way they wanted it to be fixed.  We blame God—when life does not go our way.  When someone hurts our feelings.  When life becomes unfair.

This verse establishes that hardships and adversity are part of life.  When things go wrong, our instinct is often to find someone to blame—either ourselves or others—to make sense of our pain.  This passage implies that some hardships simply happen in life and there is no one to blame.  What we can take from this scripture is that life is sometimes good and sometimes bad—it is life.

“So do not fear; for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) Today, let us remember, that God is the God of all things—even the painful things, but He also tells us, “I will help you through all things.”  And that is His promise.  God Bless. Amen.

denise