“What more could I have done?”

All of us have said or thought this at one time or another. There are two different ways we can use this question. The first is when we look at a situation and wonder if we could have done something more or something different for a better outcome. Maybe you’ve had a falling out with a friend and you wonder if you could have done something differently to save the relationship. The second way we might use this question is to make it clear we have done all we could even if the outcome was not what we wanted. Maybe you completed a job exactly like the customer wanted and they were still unsatisfied. You did what they asked and did it well, what more could you have done?

We read in Isaiah 5 that God asked this question about the nation of Judah. He looked at their sin and rebellion and said, “What more could have been done for [you] than I have done…? When I looked for good grapes, why did [you] yield only bad (5:3-4)? In these verses God is not wondering if He could/should have done something different to achieve a better outcome. He is saying it as a declaration, “There is nothing more I could have done. I have done everything I could and you still rejected me!”

So, we must guard against thinking God could or should have done more for us. So many things in life, like the weather, our health, our jobs, or our relationships can tempt us to think that God could be doing more for us. In those moments we can trust that God will never leave us or fail us (Deut. 31:6). We can be confident that God’s timing is perfect (Eccl. 3:11). We can know that God gives us everything we need (2 Pt. 1:3). And ultimately, we can have assurance of his love because Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Let’s remind ourselves today of all He has done.

- Chad