“How could a loving God let this happen?” “Why did God take my son from me?” “Why didn’t God prevent this disastrous accident?” When people face tragedy and painful circumstances, they often search beyond the obvious and look for a reason and something or someone to blame. Such questions come out of the false assumption that since God is sovereign, He will prevent tragedy, difficulty, and suffering from happening to believers. This results from ignorance of the Word, false teaching, selfishness, and often is based on emotional conclusions—“I’m supposed to be God’s child, but I would never allow this to happen to my children.” Scriptures nowhere promises we will be free from troubles. In fact, it tells us the opposite; we should expect adversity. Jesus said, In this world you will have trouble (Jn 16:33). Christians get cancer, have heart attacks, are killed in car wrecks, endure natural disasters, etc. the same as non-Christians.
When people blame God, they are most often charging Him with something He did not do. The three truths Christians must keep in mind, we live in a sinful world, it is filled with sinful people and most important, another entity exists who causes the majority of troubles, Satan. He is out to destroy God and His children. He uses people to bring adversity to believers. He tempts us to make bad choices and create difficulties for ourselves. He utilizes nature in an effort to make believers doubt and blame God for allowing disasters, disease, and breakdowns. When sin entered the world, it affected the entire universe. Like all men and women, the creation is dying and wearing out producing calamities. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now (Rom 8:22).
The worst reaction to troubles is blaming God, refusing to let it go, developing a grudge, and becoming angry with God. I understand being angry with God because I’ve been angry with Him more than once. I blamed Him for negative circumstances taking place in my life and reacted in anger because He didn’t prevent or stop it when I prayed. My anger was stirred when He didn’t do something I wanted. At that point in my life, I didn’t understand what I’m writing today and was shortsighted about the scope of eternity. This life is not all there is. The future is coming when the Lord will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Rev 21:4). Despite the fact, I didn’t have all the answers, my victory came when I let it go and trusted God again. After Habakkuk asked God why all the troubles were happening to Israel and God didn’t answer, he resolved even if hard times continued, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation (Hab 3:18).
The foundation for trusting God in the worst of times is the knowledge that the Lord is good (Ps 100:5). Nothing evil or bad exist in Him. He never does evil to His people. The Assyrians had already destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, many of the Judean cities, and they were threatening the remaining cities. Nahum assured the Jews that God was still sovereign and just. He reminded them, The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. (Nah 1:7 NIV). This verse shows God’s people will experience times of trouble. It does not say He will prevent trouble from happening or that He will remove us from trouble. It says because the Lord is good He will be our refuge during these times. I see testimonies of people who had to take refuge in their tornado shelter. After the wind stopped, they immerged and found everything destroyed as far as they could see. Yet, they rejoiced because they were still alive and well. I’ve never seen one survivor angry with God because of the tornado. Rather they were all thankful they were alive and safe. They looked beyond their moment of disaster to the future knowing they could rebuild.
We have the assurance that God will make every trouble work for our good. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). When we get angry with God, we are essentially declaring that God has done it wrong and doesn’t know what He is doing. You are seeking to be His counselor. Paul reminds us God doesn’t need a counselor. “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor” (Rom 11:34)? “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts (Isa 55:8, 9).
People can allow their anger to push them away from God until they become resistant towards Him. By far the saddest examples of anger toward God are believers who never let it go and die angry with God. Know also that when we are angry with God, He is never angry with us. He’s waiting for us to trust Him again.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Even if you don’t understand, let any anger toward God go, and trust Him again.