Woe to Him Who Strives

Isaiah quoted God when he wrote,

"Woe to him who strives with Him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' or 'Your work has no handles'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'" Thus says YHWH, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: "Ask Me of things to come; will you command Me concerning My children and the work of My hands? (Isa 45:9-11)

To which we routinely answer, "Yes ... yes we will command You on what You do." Oh, maybe not in words, but that's what in our heads. God must meet our expectations ... or else.

God is baffled by that idea. We live it all the time. We complain when He doesn't answer prayers the way we want. We are upset when He allows tragedies we would not have disallowed. We're miffed He doesn't give us more. When Mary was told she would be with child, she asked, "How"? When Zechariah was told his wife would be pregnant, he questioned the veracity. Mary was blessed and Zechariah lost his ability to speak. Because Mary expressed questions, but not doubt. Not "What are you making?" but "I don't understand."

It astounds me -- and if I'm pointing fingers, they're at me as well -- how many times we tell God how badly He messed up. I've literally asked, "Why have You made me this way?" (with suggestions about how He could have done better). Self-identified Christians tell me, "If that's what God is like, I want nothing to do with Him" when it's exactly what God says. Romans says natural man "exchanged the truth about God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen" (Rom 1:25) It says, "they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Rom 1:21). Let's not be worshiping the creature rather than the Creator. Let's not be futile and foolish. We're His creations. We really should learn our place. It's at His feet, not on His back.