The Role of Responsibility

“I take responsibility.” You don’t hear those words every day. In fact, our culture often pushes people to avoid responsibility as much as possible.

This can be a natural reaction during difficult seasons—when our world gets turned upside down. We can easily react to that difficulty by casting blame as far and wide as possible. We look for every possible reason and every potential excuse to explain why things are going wrong.

Except, we rarely look in the mirror.

I want to look at a gift God uses to bless us and keep us moving forward when we choose to keep the faith as His children. That gift is personal responsibility, as found in Ecclesiastes 5.

By the time we get to that section in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon has already spent two chapters discussing the emptiness of a life apart from God. Then, in the third chapter, he admits that even so, stubborn questions remain. But Solomon stands boldly on the declaration that God has a plan and that even when it is cloaked in several layers of mystery, it is a good plan—a trustworthy plan.

He reminded us that God knows the time and appointed season of every life. He counts the very hairs on your head, and a sparrow doesn’t plummet to earth without His awareness. As Jesus told us, “You are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). Moreover, God knows every implication of every event: positive, negative, or neutral. We live in the goldfish bowl of time and space with all the limitations imposed by that habitation. God is outside that bowl entirely, and He sees past, present, future, and all across every inch of His creation simultaneously. We can’t wrap our minds around that one any more than a goldfish can understand a map of your county.

Seeing, hearing, knowing, and planning all things, and based upon His own mysterious purposes, God governs the affairs of this planet. There will be a time for intervening and a time to refrain from intervening. To feel angry and frustrated is human, but to chastise God is to make a cosmic spectacle of our own folly in the presence of the Alpha and the Omega, the King of kings who loves us so much that He bears the nail marks in His hands, in the presence of the seraphim and cherubim, and all the heavenly realm.

We must decide which side we’re on: Do we honor God as the Lord of life or not? Do we trust Him in the rough times, or only when it’s convenient? Our modern expression “Watch your step!” comes from Solomon’s warning: “Walk prudently.” Literally, the Hebrew says, “Keep your foot.”

When we come into God’s house, we are to draw near to hear, understand, learn, and worship. We are to cultivate an attitude of reverence, expectation, and a holy sense of resignation to His will. Blaming God for our struggles does nothing to alleviate them, but walking carefully before Him will aid our efforts to keep the faith.

So be ready! Be willing! Be strong and courageous!

Respond

• What responsibility has God given you?
• How do you carry out that responsibility?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for calling me and trusting me to serve You by sharing the love and message of Jesus Christ.

Was this plan helpful? We adapted this plan from Keep the Faith: How to Stand Strong in a World Turned Upside Down by Dr. David Jeremiah. Check it out for more.