There is an age-old question that if God is loving and all-powerful, then why does He allow misfortune? Well, I had misfortune and wondered why God allowed it. I had to admit that Proverbs 4:19 described me when it said, “People that reject God’s advice are blind to so much about life; they have troubles but have no clue what is really causing them.”
I didn’t either until I read 2 Chronicles 24:20 that said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has forsaken you’.”

I came to understand that I had no right to expect God’s protective intervention when I had paid no attention to His advice for me. If I had cultivated no relationship with Him, what gave me the right to expect His help with my issues which were usually the result of my own selfish and independent decision making? Jeremiah 7:13 was pretty clear about that when I read, “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.” And Jeremiah 5:25 left no doubt when it said, “Your wrongdoing has caused you to forfeit so much; your sins have deprived you of good.” And as if that was not enough, I could not resist the logic of Job 34:33 that said, “Should God then reward you when you refuse to do things His way?” And what could possibly be more clear than 2 Chronicles 15:2 that said, “The Lord is with you, so long as you are with Him; and if you need Him, He will be there for you; but if you turn your back on Him, you’re on your own.” Since I, like many people, hadn’t thought this through very well, I realized that I needed to study the Bible to be able to understand and relate to my Creator.

I learned that God, being the ultimate gentleman, does not go where He is not invited, as painful as it might be for Him to have to stand by and watch my self-destructive choices. I found some hope, though, when I read Matthew 6:33 which said, “Put some attention on God’s stuff first and don’t do things that hurt His feelings and you’ll start noticing Him resolving things that used to stress you out.” Another verse showed me how responsive God would be to me if I would simply pay attention to His advice. 2 Chronicles 30:9 says, “…the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.” Psalm 81:13 & 14 was also very clear in stating that “If people would but listen to me and would follow my ways, how quickly I would resolve their issues and bring them peace.”

So finally, it was clear to me what I needed to do when I read Nehemiah 1:5 that said, “…O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands…” God was just looking for those who would love Him back and take Him seriously.