There have been times that I’ve been angry at God, blamed God, about the junk in my life. It’s easy to blame God for not “coming through” when we want Him to. Perhaps for you it’s financial hardship, or trouble in your marriage, or a rebellious child. For me, it’s fear and anxiety. I have found myself thinking about the “What ifs”. “What if this isn’t where we are supposed to be living? What if this is not the right job for me? What if this is as good as it gets? What if…” Slowly, I start drowning in my thoughts and that’s when I start begging God, (which is very different from praying) for peace and for Him to please come through for me. Thank God for His grace and unending love for us, though. He still seems to listen in those out of whack moments.

In one of those scary-thoughts-going-crazy-tempted-to-blame-God-for-my-anxiety-and-fear-moments, I felt that I should reevaluate my tactics. This begging thing wasn’t making my situation any better, if anything; it was making my situation worse. I believe God stepped in and said, “Ok, stop whining and start winning.” But how do we “win” over our urge to blame and complain? I believe it’s by realizing who’s on our side. I don’t consider God being the type to wash His hands and turn His face from us and our issues. Instead, He encourages us to walk through the ups and downs of life with courage because He is walking through it all with us. He is on our side, through it all.

God’s word declares, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.” (Isaiah 43:2)

Through this passage God is basically saying that He guarantees He will be with us, through every possible, known and unknown, situation. When our minds start wandering to anxious and fearful territories, we can swiftly turn the other way, without complaint and remember that God promised He’d be with us. Winning over self-pity starts by believing God is on our side. He empowers us and gives us victory over any and every difficult circumstance.

Once, we believe and accept God’s promise that He’ll be with us through it all, we must believe the second part of that verse: that the hard places won’t “kindle upon” us. In other words, the marital struggle, the anxiety, the fear, the financial struggle will not consume us. We don’t have to blame God or complain or feel self-pity, when God assures us, that none of these things can consume us.

I’m learning to stop myself in my own tracks and declare what God says to me, “When I pass through the dangers of life, the trenches of life, God will be with me. When I walk by or in the fires of life, God will be with me. And I will not get burned nor will these troubles consume me”. We win over our urge to blame and complain when we take a minute to accept, receive and believe that God is with us and He won’t let us be consumed.

Prayer:
Thank you Father for being our rescuer, our helper and our protector. Thank you for being with us no matter how deep in the trenches of life we may be. Forgive us for giving into our urge to blame and complain. Give us the courage to walk through the storms of life knowing that you are with us. We know you will embrace us, cover us, and walk beside us as we go through the uphills and downhills of life. In Jesus name, amen.

What bible verse have you declared over you life that has helped you trust that God is with you, through it all?

What can you do today to believe and accept God’s promises for you life?

Special shout out to my dear friend, Laura Smythers, for editing my blogs. She’s a wife, teacher, educator, and passionate follower of Christ. Thank you for helping these posts happen.