This is God's Doing

O God...You have shown Your people hard things;

You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

You have given a banner to those who fear You,

that it may be displayed because of the truth.

Psalm 60:3-4

I think God gets blamed for a lot of stuff that's not his doing. For that matter, so does the devil. If we find a parking spot close to the door, it must have been God. If we can't find a place to park, it must be the devil. If things go my way, God must be blessing me. If things don't go my way, the devil must be hindering me. We hear it all the time in church circles, but what we too easily forget is our own role in things.

And there is the assumption that everything that happens in church and makes me feel good is from God, and anything that makes me feel not so good must be an attack of the enemy. God wants me blessed, so if I'm suffering financially, the devil must be stealing my seed. God wants me whole and healthy, so if I'm sick the devil must be attacking my body. God wants me successful in everything I do, so if doors are closing before me it must be the devil trying to thwart the plan of God for my life.

What we forget is that sometimes God does things that, from an imperfect human perception, seem to have negative consequences in our lives. Sometimes God withholds from us what we want or what we ask for, because it is not in our best interests to have it. Sometimes God closes doors because he does not want us to travel down a certain path, no matter how "blessed" we think we would be if we walked it. Sometimes God even disciplines us in order to get us on the right path and help us grow, but we can't stand to be corrected. We must remember that whatever God does for us, it is for our good and His glory.

I've occasionally witnessed confusion in churches, confusion over messages or gifts or manifestations or actions. I'm a firm believer in letting the Holy Spirit have complete freedom and liberty in church. But I have seen alot of things happen in churches that are blamed on the Holy Ghost, when in fact it is merely a human reaction or response, sometimes toward the presence of God, sometimes just because it makes them feel good, sometimes just because everybody else is acting a certain way or doing a certain thing. And when confusion reigns, I have sometimes been too quick to judge the confusion as not from God. But I think David puts these kinds of things into a different light.

Sometimes it is God who sends (or allows, since God is not the author) confusion because His people have strayed from righteousness and truth. The mess we sometimes witness may well indeed be God, but the confusion it causes brings lots of questions to the surface. Why would God do something confusing? Making the assumption that if something is from God it must also be what He is "blessing" us with right now is not a healthy practice. We need to take a step back and ask, "God, what are you trying to do here?" "Is this really from you?" And if it is from God, "What is the purpose of all this?" If it's confusing, we need to find out why. If God is sending confusion or delusion, we need to figure out why and repent!

And in all we do, we must be constant and vigilant in holding up God's banner of truth. Because His Name is truth, his words are truth, His ways are truth. We can settle for no less!