Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?”
(Job 38:1-5 NIV)
Job had a lot to be angry about if he were dealing with another human that caused him this pain but that was not the case! God clearly allowed Job to be tested, seemingly without cause and when Job finally broke and began questioning God’s ability to be just and fair he received his answer beginning in chapter 38 and ending with chapter 41 and it is not a response I want to get from God.
There is much pain in the world and that includes pain among Christians. People of the world don’t know what to think or who to blame, often they refer to their circumstances as “bad luck” but Christians knowing of God we trade our belief in luck to believing in God’s purpose. Though it is seldom that we know the answer to all of our questions why at the root we know that God has allowed this pain. Too often church leaders tell their congregation it is ok to be mad at God and will often point to Psalms and King David’s struggles. What isn’t said or isn’t heard is that David always reminded himself of the goodness of God and didn’t wallow in pain and anger for very long.
I have seen it over and over again the innocent gets hurt, blames God, gets angry at God, and then gets stuck there. The result is that they cannot heal and they spend the rest of their Christian lives angry at God, broken and powerless to move on. My wife and I once knew an adult Christian lady who was molested as a child, who could not forgive God for not protecting her. As a result she had debilitating headaches that were destroying her life as a mother, wife, and friend. Though she prayed for healing and asked others to pray for the same God remained silent. She and her family eventually moved, looking for professional help; as far as I know healing never came.
Was God “big enough” to take it? Yes but who’s progress is hindered coming through the wall? Did God still love her? Yes! Why didn’t God heal her of these terrible headaches? We don’t know but I believe these are the wrong questions. Why did the Israelites wonder in the desert for forty years? Look at it this way, a godly, human father sees his twin toddlers playing with their favorite toys. They are doing nothing wrong but still he takes they toys away from his two children. What the children don’t know is that their father has something better in store. The one gets mad and throws a tantrum fit to be tied, the other hangs her head and starts to cry. Though this was a small thing it deeply impacted both children. The questions needed to be asked are these: What was in the heart of each child that caused them to respond the way they did? What would you expect the parent’s response to each one is going to be? Would he not correct the one that is displaying “justified anger” and would he not comfort the one that was weeping? And if this is the case which one do you think would begin to understand that the father is indeed good and has good intentions first? The one throwing the tantrum, I don’t think so! Another question is this: how long do you want to sulk and feel separated from God? He’s big enough to take it, are you? On the other hand when I come to a wall I want to go through it as quickly as possible. That doesn’t mean I don’t hurt or somehow lack feelings, that doesn’t mean I don’t have questions but long before I got to the wall I decided that God is good no matter what circumstance may come my way.
Time and time again God has restored me and my faith in Him whether it was watching my son almost killed from someone who fell asleep at the wheel and then being told all his dreams had been taken away to now having a full scholarship in college and a promise to be who he originally wanted to be prior to the accident and that’s just one example! There are many more stories I can share like that one but never once was I angry at God or will I be, not because I’m more righteous than someone else but simply because I know God to be good at all times, no matter what circumstances I face and I know He is faithful to grow my faith in Him and His ability and desire to save me! So if you must be angry at God, for He still loves you but if you want healing you have to let go of the anger in order to step out of that dark place so that you may grow in faith knowing God is your only hope of salvation.
Where I struggle is being angry at people when they have hurt me but even that the lesson is the same, for I cannot hold onto anger and receive healing at the same time. Forgiveness combats anger and being secure in God's love combats being easily offended and living detached from the things of this world means that I get to know God's peace.
