God is not the One missing it
If someone wanted to take God to court, would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times? ~ Job 9:3
It’s amazing how quickly people are willing to blame God when things don’t go the way they hoped or prayed. I have heard many people say, “I guess it just wasn’t God’s will,” when they start something new and things don’t go as smoothly as they had hoped. They make it sound like God randomly withholds blessings or ignores sincere requests. Like He makes everything up as we go through life instead of already having a plan in place. It amazes me that God gets the blame and that people rarely consider that they might be the one who missed it. All too often we forget to consider the role we play in outcomes. Could it be that we missed a step? Maybe we never asked for God’s plan in the first place. Maybe we prayed from assumption rather than from faith grounded in His Word?
Instead of seeking God’s heart and getting His direction first, we sometimes treat prayer like a last resort, hoping He’ll bless a path we’ve already chosen. But faith doesn’t operate in uncertainty. Faith requires a promise. And we find those promises by getting in the Word and spending quiet time with God daily. When we do, we’ll begin to sense His direction more clearly. Our prayers will then line up with His word and with His will, and our hearts become sensitive to where He’s already moving. His desires become our desires.
Rather than aimlessly wandering through life and bumping into obstacles, we can invite God to make our path plain. We can pray, “Lord, open my eyes to where You’re leading. If I’m not walking in step with Your will, change my heart. Help me to desire what You’ve already planned for me.” God isn’t trying to withhold His best from you, He’s trying to get you to the best path He’s already laid out.
In today’s scripture reading, Job acknowledges a powerful truth: If we were to take God to court, He wouldn’t be the one found in the wrong. Not because He bulldozes His will over us, but because He never breaks His Word. He is consistent, just, and faithful, even when we don’t understand His ways. He’s not confused, absent, or distracted. His plan is perfect, even if our understanding is incomplete. When things don’t turn out the way we wanted, it’s not because God failed, it’s often because we didn’t fully tune in to what He was saying in the first place.
Here’s how to get started:
- Spend daily quiet time with God – Just 10-15 minutes reading Scripture and praying can tune your heart to His.
- Ask for clarity before you act – Don’t move on major decisions without seeking confirmation in prayer and God’s Word.
- Find a verse to stand on – Anchor your faith to a promise from God’s Word. Don’t just pray in general, pray on purpose.
- Be open to correction – Let God show you if you’re off course, and respond with humility instead of blame.
Today I want to encourage you to remember that God hasn’t forgotten you. He’s not playing a guessing game with your life. His path is already prepared and your life is already planned. Your role is to walk out that plan with Him. The more time you spend with the Designer, the more clearly you’ll see the design. Don’t be afraid to admit where you’ve missed it. That’s not failure, that’s humility and maturity. Let today be the day you get in tune with His purpose, knowing that His plan is better than anything you could try to make happen on your own.
Today’s scripture reading: Job 9
1 Then Job spoke again:
2 “Yes, I know all this is true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?
3 If someone wanted to take God to court, would it be possible to answer him even once in a thousand times?
4 For God is so wise and so mighty. Who has ever challenged him successfully?
5 “Without warning, he moves the mountains, overturning them in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place, and its foundations tremble.
7 If he commands it, the sun won’t rise and the stars won’t shine.
8 He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.
9 He made all the stars—the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
10 He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.
11 “Yet when he comes near, I cannot see him. When he moves by, I do not see him go.
12 If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him? Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’
13 And God does not restrain his anger. Even the monsters of the sea are crushed beneath his feet.
14 “So who am I, that I should try to answer God or even reason with him?
15 Even if I were right, I would have no defense. I could only plead for mercy.
16 And even if I summoned him and he responded, I’m not sure he would listen to me.
17 For he attacks me with a storm and repeatedly wounds me without cause.
18 He will not let me catch my breath, but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.
19 If it’s a question of strength, he’s the strong one. If it’s a matter of justice, who dares to summon him to court?
20 Though I am innocent, my own mouth would pronounce me guilty. Though I am blameless, it would prove me wicked.
21 “I am innocent, but it makes no difference to me— I despise my life.
22 Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God. That’s why I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
23 When a plague sweeps through, he laughs at the death of the innocent.
24 The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked, and God blinds the eyes of the judges. If he’s not the one who does it, who is?
25 “My life passes more swiftly than a runner. It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.
26 It disappears like a swift papyrus boat, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful,
28 I would still dread all the pain, for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.
29 Whatever happens, I will be found guilty. So what’s the use of trying?
30 Even if I were to wash myself with soap and clean my hands with lye,
31 you would plunge me into a muddy ditch, and my own filthy clothing would hate me.
32 “God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
33 If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together.
34 The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
35 Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.
Journal:
Where in your life have you been praying for something without first seeking God’s plan?- Write down one area where you want to hear His direction clearly.
- Then ask Him to reveal a promise in His Word you can anchor your faith to and listen with expectation.
The Daily Dose 