Being angry at God? Nowadays, it seems almost epidemic among Christians!
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and it breaks my heart to see – to talk to so many hurting believers who are convinced God has treated them unjustly. Take Carolyn (that’s not her real name, but I'll call her that). When Carolyn learned that her husband Ray was seeing another woman, it stunned her. When he refused to break off the relationship, things only got worse. Finally Ray told Carolyn that he had decided to stay with the other woman. I tell you, it simply shattered her life. At first, her shock and anger was directed solely against Ray, like: What is he thinking?! How can he throw away 14 years of marriage? How am I going to provide for myself? But as the anger subsided, another crop of ugly questions surfaced: Lord, why would have me and the kids face such a nightmare? Is this what you, a good God, does to His people? Carolyn was becoming angry at God and she knew it. Thing is, she didn’t want to put a lid on those feelings just yet – she felt justified in her anger, and she wanted God and her friends to know that!
I mean, she thought: Am I supposed to paste on a good Christian smile that’s only plastic? Am I supposed to just ignore these doubts about God's wisdom in allowing all this to happen to me and my kids? Is my pastor right when he says that good Christians don’t complain in the face of trials?
I realize your circumstances are different from Carolyn’s. Maybe your boss fired you unfairly, or maybe an adult abused you as a child. Perhaps someone you trusted dearly betrayed you or maybe you are dealing with a progressive, debilitating disease – maybe your child is dealing with such a disease like muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis, and you are angry at God. You just tense up when you think of Him being in control of your life and all its misery. Believe me, going through all that I have in this wheelchair for so many years, I understand. I’ve been there. I have been T’d off at God more times than I wish to count.
But here’s what I’ve learned, here’s the good news: You are not left with only two options. You are not forced to choose between hiding your true feelings from God… as opposed to letting it all out and venting your anger at Him. The Bible rejects both of these options in favor of a third way… a middle path that encourages you to be transparent before the Lord, while at the same time not blaspheme Him, not saying things you’ll only regret later on… things that only dig you deeper into spiritual trouble. What is that third way? What’s the godly way to handle anger against the Lord? Well, it’s what I did many years ago when I was fuming against God – I learned how to complain in faith. Scripture taught me the art of “holy lamenting”. In God's Word I found the lamentations of other people who also felt cheated and forgotten by the Lord and I borrowed their language; I let their psalms and lamentations give voice to my pain. In other words, I directed my anger Godward instead of inward… I moved toward Him, not away from Him.
And, friend, if you are struggling with feelings of anger toward the Lord because of what seems to be unjust or unfair in your life… if you feel cheated or forgotten, then I want to encourage you today to move toward Him, not away from Him. And I’ve got a great resource that’ll help you do that called “Angry at God?” – believe me the insights and principles are so powerful, and you can get your copy by just going on-line to our radio page at joniandfriends.org. So get started on it today; contact me at joniandfriends.org.
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