I just came across this fascinating post about how Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson blamed God for dropping a touchdown pass in O.T. against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He actually tweeted it.
"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO..."
Here's a few takes on this tweet
1.) We often think like this don't we? That we've been good, so we should make the over the should proverbial touch down catch in life. Anything we get should be a reward, right? I'm not blasting this guy, because I sometimes I think this way. I reveal it by anger or over frustration at dropped balls in my life. While I do have a twitter account, I don't tweet, so it doesn't get to CNN, or even out the door.
2.) David's laments before God sometimes bear a slight resemblance to this. Check out Psalm 73:13-14.
"...All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning."
In other words, I've tried to honor you, but the "other guy" has it made in the shade while I'm the one getting the shaft.
So where is the difference? Other than the fact that one was inspired by the Holy Spirit and the other one inspired by the frustration of losing, there is a difference in direction.
The Psalms point us to Jesus. Ultimately, Jesus said all of the Psalms pointed to him (Luke 24). While we are free to, and should express these frustrating feelings to the Lord, we need to realize that Jesus lived out the frustrations in these Psalms. He truly was 100% innocent, and had 100% clean hands, and 100% clean heart, and yet he took upon himself the frustrations of life in this world. At the cross, he experienced the frustration of being publicly scorned by those who were in the wrong. And just as he was vindicated by rising from the grave, so too will we who are united with him by faith. It just won't be because we praised God 24/7; it will be because of Jesus.
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