Some of us, even though we’re believers, think whenever we’re having problems that God’s getting even with us, that God’s just trying to get back at us.

It’s like the guy who was driving up to a mountain lake, and on the way up it starts snowing, so he gets out to put chains on his tires. While he’s doing this, another car comes along and slams into his car. And he watches in horror as his car goes over a cliff.

He continues up the mountain on foot, in the snow and sleet, and he’s getting sick from the cold. Then, as he rounds the final corner, he sees that his cabin has burned down. He throws his hands in the air and asks, “Why me, God?” The heavens part, and a voice says, “Because some people just make me mad.”

Maybe you’ve thought that’s the way God feels about you. Maybe you think that whenever you’ve got a problem, it means God is upset with you. But that’s not God’s way. He’s for you, not against you. If, like that man on the snowy mountain, you’re experiencing difficult circumstances, it’s not because God is mad at you. That’s not a reflection of God’s heart for you. In fact, the Bible says we can “rely on the love God has for us. God is love” (1 John 4:16 NIV).

God doesn’t hold a grudge. That’s not his nature. He says, “I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you” (Isaiah 43:25 GNT). If you have received Jesus as your Savior, then there is no condemnation because you are in Christ (see Romans 8:1). Now let’s take that truth and replace the old lies.