When (King Ahab) saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord ’s commands and have followed the Baals. (1 Kings 18:17, 18)
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What happened here? A wicked king – Ahab – meets a godly prophet – Elijah – and blames the problems the kingdom is having – drought – on Elijah. Ahab really could not see, or refused to admit, that it was his own sin that had caused the rain to cease.

Now would be a great time to take a cheap shot at the government. It is the wicked, politically correct but not just plain correct politicians that are responsible for the evil loosed in our nation. It is easy to criticize and point fingers at them but there is a smaller “kingdom” I need to consider before I point fingers – my own personal kingdom, my own life, my own heart.

Like Ahab, it is easy to blame God for my problems. I do things contrary to His Word and when things go sour I blame Him. I manipulate, claw and scratch to get my way and when it goes bad I blame God. I refuse to forgive and when I get ulcers from bitterness I am upset with God. I treat my family like dirt and when my marriage fails I accuse God – or my spouse. It is so easy to establish ourselves as king of the universe and then when our universe falls apart we blame God instead of repenting and coming to Him for help.

It is not God that is troubling my universe. As Elijah said to wicked Ahab, I am my own worst enemy. It is my abandoning the Lord’s commands that has produced the drought in my life. Ahab could have repented but instead he remained stubborn, unmoved and lost everything in his arrogance. What a warning to me to humble myself, repent and walk in the fear of the Lord.
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James 4:8-10
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.