A judgmental spirit is a dangerous thing. It leads to doubt, mistrust and broken relationships. But there is another form of judgment that is even more destructive: the practice of judging God.
When you begin to question God’s faithfulness, when circumstances are not what you wanted, you are actually judging God. When your general response to life is that life stinks, you are judging God.
Why?
Because the Holy Spirit says that God is causing all the events in your life to be a good thing for you. So, when you look at life and fail to see God’s goodness, even in the painful things, you are judging God. You are critiquing God based upon your perception of how your life is going. Not a good idea!
David provides the encouragement not to judge God but to rejoice in his faithfulness when he says:
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
These are the words of a patient heart that is living in the expectation of God’s care. These words from Psalm 23 must shape the way we look at life. God is your Shepherd. He will always care for you.
When things are going well, we tend to be okay with God’s control. But, when things are painful, we can be frustrated, even angry. When there is pain, when there is deep disappointment, when there is hurt in a relationship, the praise of God can be distant from our lips. We begin to question if God really is a faithful Shepherd. Patient praise brings the comfort of God in the middle of the hurt and loss. Your savior knew pain and loss in ways you cannot imagine so that he would be there for you in your need.
Patience is the Holy Spirit’s path in difficult times. Patience is not something that is accomplished by human effort alone. Patience is the fruit of God’s Spirit. Patience is the art of trusting God and not judging him.
Patience is accepting problems without complaining and trusting that God will care for me.
Ruth Younts’ prayer for patience:
Dear God, you are always patient and loving with me. Please help me to be patient, too. I know that you cause everything to happen for my good, and you work things out at the right time. Help me to trust you and not complain when things are difficult. In Jesus name, Amen.