Have You Been Ignoring God?
By: Kellye Smith
“He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains on a balance and the hills on the scales?” Isaiah 40:11-12
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve ignored God. It was that nagging voice or feeling in my gut that I shouldn’t be doing the thing I was doing. Sometimes it’s just laziness or overeating or bingeing too much television and I’ll hear that little voice say, “Hey, maybe we need to do something other than this. Maybe a little more movement and a little less sloth.” I can see the running list of things on my To Do list as I actively ignore it.
In the past it was a bit more dangerous. I can recall being a teenager in places and with people I knew were wrong for me. Or it was the conversation with someone I knew was about to take a turn into gossip. I knew I shouldn’t be there, but chose to stay and usually ended up in trouble.
The number of times I’ve ignored God far surpasses the number of times I’ve listened. I’d be willing to bet the same is true for you too. It’s true for all of us.
God is powerful, yes, but He also deeply respects and honors His creation. I believe one of the greatest expressions of love is listening and honoring what people say. God gave us free will to make our choices. Even if our choices include actively defying Him, He allows it.
Think back over your life and the number of times someone has sinned against you or something horrible happened to you and you thought, “Where was God in that?” He was there, but again, He honors the free will He gave us. Perhaps He tried to speak to that person and they ignored Him. Perhaps He tried to get you to listen and you chose to ignore? Sometimes the consequences of our actions or the actions of others are disastrous and hurtful. How often do we attack God when the blame belongs on the sin of the people? God gave us free will. God also gave us common sense, and commands that we not test Him. And yet, we test Him everyday.
This is for the person who feels disappointed in God because of the hurt they’ve endured. I want you to know that God loves you, and He is big enough to take your disappointment upon Himself. But I pray I can help you place that disappointment where it truly belongs and redirect your focus from there. Man is sinful. We’ve all ignored the prompting of the Holy Spirit and people have been deeply wounded in the process. Every single one of us have fallen short and the penalty for sin is death.
BUT GOD! He surely made a way for the Believer. We have the promise of everlasting life to look forward to long after man has disappointed us. Today, I pray your healing begins. Invite God into the fray and forgive Him for the misplaced disappointment and anger you’ve held toward Him for so long. God hasn’t sinned against you. Man has. It’s time to let go and move into a deeper relationship with Him.
Reflection Questions
Think of some times when you have ignored God. What was the result and how did you feel afterward?
Why do you ignore God? Is it because of fear, or doubt, or a sense of inadequacy? Bring your reasons to God and let Him work in you to overcome them.
What have been some of the results of your obedience to the will of God? How have these times given you the opportunity to grow, and what have you learned from them?