Have you ever been angry with God?

We have all made requests to God that didn’t turn out like we had hoped. When this happens, it is easy to begin making accusations and questioning Him. We start to wonder if the Lord heard us or just decided to simply say “no” to our prayer. Whether we are uncertain of the reasons why the Lord decided not to fulfill the request, one thing we are certain of is our anger toward’s the decision He made.

Wait a minute though.

When we begin to feel this way, we are treading in dangerous water and uncharted territory. When we feel that God owes us an explanation as to why He chose to do what He did or did not do (mostly because we are not doing what’s expected of us), we have forgotten who we are speaking about. Let me help you a little bit.

The bible talks about being angry. It’s okay to be angry; however, when you have anger then there is a serious issue that should be addressed immediately.

“Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Ephesians 4:26 (KJV)

Here, the bible says it is okay to be angry. Anger is a sin and becomes dangerous and here is when your issues begin.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior” Ephesians 4:31 (NLT)

As stated in the scripture above, anger is an evil behavior.

In the old testament, there was a man named Jonah. He became angry with God and tried to run when God called him to preach to his enemies. Later (after God sent a large fish to stop him), he reluctantly obeyed God and preached to his enemies. To the surprise of Jonah, his enemies repented and turned to God. Instead of Jonah praising the Lord and rejoicing, he became very angry (Jonah 4). 

What is the point? Simply this: Jonah was angry at God – but God didn’t reject him. Instead, Jonah needed to learn to trust God, even if he didn’t like what was going on. Hmmm. Maybe in God’s decision not to fulfill your request, He is teaching you to trust Him.

Perhaps the Lord allowed the enemy to test you, to see if you would be faithful during rough times just as you are when everything is going well. 

Be careful who you direct your anger towards. This also applies to a man or woman of God. We are so quick to judge and take information from a person without knowing the entire story and then our heart becomes hardened over something that had nothing to do with us. When we should be praying, we  become angry and opinionated. 

Consider the source of the information you received. If they are quick to speak negatively about a man or woman of God, they will speak ill of you as well. This is a spot in your feast of charity and God will not be pleased. You’ll soon find yourself having to ask for forgiveness for an issue that you had no involvement with.

But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. Revelations 2:4-5 (NLT)

Life doesn’t always go the way we want it to, but God still loves us; He loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to die for us. Even when you’re upset at Him, He still protects you, allows you to have a sound mind and good health to provide for your family. Would God be wrong to afflict you because of your rash words towards Him? Surely your suffering would be justified – especially placing your mouth on something you do not understand. But He waits patiently for you to realize that He is not your enemy.

Most of the times the issues we deal with are because we bring them on ourselves; primarily because of our mouths and what we say. There is power in your words. That’s so hard for people to process that. If you reflect back over the situation that caused so much frustration, it’s probably yourself you should be angry with. 

Be careful!

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. (Psalms 141:3)