Many people turn their back on God because they believe He is responsible for their troubles. Some go so far as to say He doesn’t exist, but then when they are faced with difficulties suddenly He is very real – even if only for the purpose of taking the blame!

Why do some people have this attitude towards Him? I believe it is due to a flawed perspective on God, eternity and themselves. Deep down, they may think that if God exists, He is only worth trusting insofar as He fulfils their earthly desires. He is apparently supposed to be a ‘genie in a bottle’, the executor of their own ambitions. Apart from being self-centred, it is also completely focused on this short life on earth. There is no eternal perspective, no sense of something better than life in this broken world for those who trust in the Lord. But perhaps the main reason for mistakenly holding God responsible for our problems is a failure to recognise the seriousness of sin. Many people like to think that their good deeds more than make up for the bad, and that therefore God needs to repay them – He owes them. They might think He owes them a life on earth without suffering, or maybe they think He owes them a place in heaven because of all the great things they have done. Nothing could be further from the truth. Psalm 103:10 says, “[God] does not treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our iniquities.” We actually deserve eternal punishment, because we have all fallen short of the standards of the perfect and holy God. Yet in His grace and mercy, He freely offers us forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. In response to the astounding grace of God, Paul asked, “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” It is God who has given generously to us – creating this world, creating us, and rescuing us in Christ.

What God really owes us is judgement, but what He lovingly offers instead is grace. We therefore owe Him our praise and adoration.