When you feel angry at God, learn how to complain in a godly way. Lament before the Lord using the psalms and lamentations of Scripture.
I think you would agree anger can have many layers.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I want to tell you about someone whose anger runs deep. Leslie – and that’s not her real name; anyway, Leslie recently learned that her husband Ray was seeing another woman. She was stunned, and when she confronted him, he refused to break off the relationship. And from there, things only got worse. But then, Ray told his wife that he wanted out; he had decided to stay with the other woman, and it shattered Leslie’s life. At first her shock and anger was directed solely against her husband, like, “How could he throw away our marriage? How will I support myself and the kids?” And then, as time wore on, a bunch of other angry questions began to surface, and Leslie found herself saying, “Lord, is this what you do to your people who trust you? Why have you abandoned me and the kids to face this awful nightmare?!”
Leslie was becoming angry at God, and she knew it. She felt justified in her anger, and she was not about to put a lid on those feelings. Now, that’s one thing, but then, Leslie started sowing seeds of discord about God among others. It wasn’t enough for her to turn her back on God; now, she was influencing others to do the same. She looked at it like, “Come on, am I supposed to paste on a good Christian smile and pretend that everything is okay? I can’t relate to the Bible anymore when it tells me to not complain.” When she voiced her complaints about God, she was stirring up doubt and questions in the hearts of other people. Now, I’ve never been in Leslie’s position. I’ve got a great marriage, but I understand how deceiving it can be when you feel justified in your anger. I’m not saying I agree with Leslie, but I do understand it. I’ve been there. When I got the prognosis that my paralysis was total and permanent, I simmered with resentment against God. However, I can say that I never tried to get others to doubt his goodness. I just kept my spiteful feelings to myself.
Because when we attack God in anger, we are digging a much deeper pit for ourselves. And maybe you’ve been there. Perhaps your boss fired you unfairly, or you were abused as a child. Maybe your child is dealing with a strange disease. You tense up when you think of God being sovereign over your life and all its misery. But rather than rail against him, there is a better way. Be transparent before the Lord, while at the same time, don’t blaspheme or badmouth him or sow seeds of discord about him. Rather than say things you’ll regret later on, learn how to complain in a godly way! Okay, like, there is such a thing? Well, yes, there is, and it’s called lamenting before the Lord. In God’s Word you can find the lamentations of all kinds of people who felt cheated and forgotten by God. So borrow their language. Let their psalms and lamentations give voice to your pain. Don’t move away from God; in anger, move toward him. Don’t turn your back on God, but face him. Lamenting is the best way to deal with any resentment you may have about his sovereignty.
Again, it’s called godly lamenting. Want to learn how to do it? Then today, go to joniradio.org and get my free pamphlet on anger. In it, I share how to move toward God with your anger, rather than away from him. So, get your copy of my pamphlet on anger today at joniradio.org, because you know what? There really are biblical and constructive ways to resolve your anger.
© Joni and Friends