“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” (Genesis 6:5–6, ESV)
The Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.I remember the first time these words sunk down into my soul. I couldn’t imagine God being so disappointed in me that He would be able to regret that He made me! As I read these words that was the first day I grasped the reality that God had emotions: “And it grieved him to his heart.”
Can you imagine grieving God’s heart by your very lifestyle? Turning our troubles around has to start with the understanding that what we do affects how God feels. Once that truth makes it’s way deep into our DNA, we are ready to move into the reality that how God works with us is determined by how He feels about us.
Many want to make God some kind of emotionless being – a supercomputer, if you will, of doctrines. However, while God in many ways is incomprehensible, He lauds the person who “knows and understands” Him! (See Jeremiah 9.24.)
Any cursory read of the Old Testament will reveal that God moves in this life based, in part, on how He feels about our choices and decisions. He split Israel – into Northern and Southern tribes – and then He wiped the Northern Kingdom into oblivion and sent the Southern into captivity for 70 years because of the way they treated Him. A part of God’s being is His emotional makeup.
Dealing with a God who is emotional is a new concept for some. While He is guided and checked by His justice and His infinite mind, His will, and emotions also enter into how He treats us.
Today, step back for a moment and ponder your existence. To turn around our future we have to turn upward to God. Pleasing Him is central to enjoying an abundant life here on Earth. Consider your choices. Chew over the direction those choices are leading you. It’s not too late to turn something, or everything, over to God. He’s ready to help us whenever we choose to live for Him and with Him!
Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.
