Dear God, I’m Angry with You

Anger is a natural human response. We get angry when we do not get our way, when we are treated terribly, or when we witness injustice in the world.

Anger is a human emotion created by God. Jesus became angry when He saw the selling of animals for sacrifices in the temple and expressed it by driving the merchants out with a whip (John 2:13-17).

Becoming angry is not a sin in itself. Feeling angry at God is something every Christian, and even some who are not Christians, have experienced.

But just because it is normal, or even sometimes natural, to become angry with God does not mean that we are right in doing so. The underlining beliefs about ourselves and God that motivate our anger are the issue, not our anger itself.

When we become angry with God, it is important to evaluate why we are truly angry. Rarely do we become angry over the actual circumstance and more because we feel that God owes us something.

We would never admit it, but we believe that our faithfulness to God means that we should never have any suffering in this life. God should give us everything we want in return for everything He asks of us.

But God is not a genie in a bottle existing simply to grant our every wish.

Jesus said, “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

Maybe what we want is not good for us. When we become angry at God for not giving us what we want, we neglect to trust that He knows what we need and that His plan for us is perfect.

We know why we become angry with God, but how should we deal with it?

First, we should not deny when we are angry with God. He knows our hearts and there is absolutely nothing that we could tell Him that He cannot handle or doesn’t already know.

God wants to hear about all of your emotions and feelings toward Him, no matter how negative they may seem. Pour out your heart to God in prayer. Tell Him how you feel and why you feel that way.

Next, rest in the promise that God is omniscient (all-knowing). He knows what He is doing! We can never see the full picture, only a tiny portion of it. God sees the entire image at once.

So while we may not understand why hard things and terrible suffering happen to us, God does, and He stays with us through it all. There is great comfort in that promise.

Lastly, remember that God does not exist to give you everything you want. What you want may be harmful to you. God gives good gifts to His children, but He also withholds things that could hurt us.

When we face suffering in this life, let’s remember what Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).

Just because we follow Christ, does not mean that our lives will be easy. But, there is good news: Jesus has the victory over every brokenness and injustice in the world, and one day, He will make all things new.

This article appeared originally on Liftable.