Circumstances, Being Offended, and the Unjust Judge

I want to share something about circumstances before I go to Part 2 of what the Lord revealed to me about the parable of the unjust judge. It shines more light on my last post. After writing the post “Believing God is an Unjust Judge,” Martha read it and marveled at the last scripture I quoted. And in particular she beamed about one word in it: “that.” Here is the scripture:

Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay to help them?  I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?”
Luke 18:1-8 HCSB

The widow came to the unjust judge with fervency. She was relentless and persistent! This is exactly how the Lord wants us to come to Him—fervently and with persistence.

When Circumstances Tempt Me to Quit

All of us can falter and believe our God is being unfair or unjust. Like I said in my last post, our circumstances can often speak louder than His Word. This is just human nature. No, it is not the nature of our spirit man, but it is the temptation laid at our doorstep by the devil. Satan says, “You’re in pain (or difficulty) and God just doesn’t care!”

While living in our reality, we’re able to be influenced by our emotions, especially in hardship or suffering. And when our emotions take the reins of our lives, we can begin to turn on God. Our Father becomes the enemy because He who has power is not using that power to effect a change in my circumstances. Hence, I deduce, He doesn’t care. Give anyone a healthy dose of pain or suffering and this is what we are called to fight. We have to proclaim, “God is good, and right, and perfect… My circumstances are not the determiner of my reality; He is!”

Not Being Offended in Circumstances

This all reminds me of the verse Matthew 11:6–“Blessed is he who is not offended in Me.” Why did Christ have to say this to John the Baptist, who was in prison and about to be beheaded? Because God can be offensive. Our suffering simply can cause us to become offended with God. Blessed is he who is not offended.

If we define our reality by our current circumstances, we are set up to be offended. This is why God requires faith to please. You remember that post? Faith trusts that God is good, regardless of my circumstances. And this is why it is impossible to please God without faith. Faith is the abandoning of self upon the trust that God is who He says He is. Faith rejects that which is seen for that which is promised. And without faith, you will be offended.

Finding That Faith on Earth

Luke quotes Jesus at the end of the parable of the unjust judge, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?” What is that faith? It is the faith that is not offended with Him. It is the faith that overcomes our propensity to believe Him to be unjust, unfair, and uninvolved. And when we falter and become hurt with God, we have to come to God and keep on coming. We prove with our actions that we will believe, because He is the Answer.

I am standing, praying, and receiving that FAITH so that He will find this faith in me. Our God is the fulfillment of His promise, and He knows our beginning to our end. My grasp of reality based on a snapshot of existence is not faith or even truth. It is just a changing circumstance which will pass away like the clouds of the sky.

And blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth.
Matthew 11:6 AMPC