Mad at God

Have you ever been mad at God?

“Not me,” you say, “That would be disrespectful, even blasphemous!”

But in truth, all of us perchance get mad at Him at some point in our faith journey, or at the very least question His dealings in our lives. Right? Disclaimer: I speak this today for those whose emotions at times override their faith. Like you perhaps, I too have struggled with this aspect of spiritual development. So, let’s begin.

I don’t believe we can talk about getting mad at God without considering the following issues:

1. Poor choices
2. Generational patterns (generational curses)
3. Unrepentant sin
4. Sowing and reaping
5. Anger issues
6. Family of origin
7. Undisciplined living
8. Feelings that override faith

Poor Choices – We were created by God and given free choice. We are not robots! And because of this, many times we make decisions–choices–that run contrary to righteous living. We choose to do things that hurt us—spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. For example, the drug culture has destroyed many lives, wrecked homes, impaired mental and physical capabilities and wreaked overall havoc. Entire families pay for the sins of individual members, which is not fair, but sin is cruel and uncaring. Much heartache and torrents of tears accompany these horrible decisions. Also, alcohol has gained control and brought much heartache and pain. “For those who are according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5).

God never intended for anything or anyone to control us, except the Holy Spirit. Relationships continue to be destroyed because of daily, poor decisions. Unforgiveness runs rampant. I’ve never worked with so many whose choices have convoluted their thinking, causing them to live outside of God’s revealed will.

And I’ve noticed that many blame God for their predicaments and the upheaval in the lives of those they love. You see, God is not to blame for our poor choices. We have to assume personal responsibility for them. I do believe, however, that God’s grace carries us through these atrocities of life. 

Generational Patterns – We find an interesting passage in Ezekiel 18, where God forbids the Israelites from continuing to quote a familiar phrase: “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, declares the Lord God, you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father, as well as the soul of the son are Mine. The soul who sins will die.” (verses 2-4).

What is the prophet saying? God no longer allowed one generation to blame its fathers for their sins. In essence, everyone is responsible for his or her own choices. We can no longer play the “Blame Game.”

For example, one might say, “My dad was an alcoholic, an immoral man, a wretched man—a whatever—so that’s why I am what I am.” God says no. We all are given choices and we all have to answer for those choices—good or bad. The blood of Jesus cancels out generational sin and makes possible a clean slate.

Another says, “I grew up around drugs, alcohol, immorality, and irresponsibility, and that’s why I am the way I am.” Again, this is not true. We all make choices and we all deal with the consequences of those choices. To get mad at God is not only unreasonable but allows for a life of excuse-making. Some refer to this issue as “generational curses.” I prefer to use the term “generational patterns” because the word “curses” often brings misunderstandings that allow for individuals to pass the blame, instead of owning their issues.

Unrepentant Sin –  After our salvation, we must no longer see ourselves as sinners. We are His righteousness. 1 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be win for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” We come under new management. We no longer serve Satan; we serve the Lord Jesus Christ. His indwelling Spirit shows us the ways of righteousness. And He empowers us to live according to godliness.

The Bible says, “If we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1). Through His blood He forgives. Yes, we might sin; however, we must no longer see ourselves as sinners after we are converted.

Any unrepentant sin must be confronted and stopped. If not, our spiritual life is stunted. We become unable to hear the Lord, to receive from His Word and to live an overcoming life. Sin desensitizes us, steals our joy, invites anger and other issues to cloud our ability to feel the warmth of God’s presence. In short, unrepented sin steals our divine potential and allows the enemy to access our lives. Again, to get mad at God is an exercise in futility. Instead, we should welcome His warm embrace. 

Sowing and Reaping – The Bible makes it clear that “whatever a man sows, he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  And frankly, we usually reap more than we sow!

When we engage in behavior that is potentially hurtful or counter-productive to healthy living, we often pay for it the rest of our life. For example, I became a diabetic after many years of eating too much sugar and gaining an inordinate amount of weight. Although the Lord has been good to me—actually spared my life—I still deal with neuropathy in my legs and feet. I trust the Lord to restore damaged nerves but I’m reminded daily that I’m reaping many years of unhealthy living. However, I’m not mad at God. Again, I made choices to live contrary to a healthy lifestyle.

If I’ve ever needed Him, it’s now! I continue to declare that Jesus is my healer. “By his stripes we are healed… (1 Peter 2:24).

Anger Issues – Be honest. Have you ever been mad at God?

Who in the Bible got mad at God? There were several: Job, Elijah, (he had a deadly combo – anger that led to depression), Jonah and many others.

I wish now to pick on Jonah. In Jonah 1, we read about a wayward preacher, who was subtly mad at God, jumped a ship on its way to the opposite direction of God’s will and eventually landed overboard. He was anger-driven. Three days and nights in the belly of a great fish curbed his anger temporarily. Then, God used Jonah, the revivalist, to win Nineveh to God.  Finally, in chapter 4 we see his anger mount again when salvation came to those he secretly hated. “Then  God said to Jonah. ‘Do you have good reason to be angry…? ‘And he said, ‘I have good reason to be angry, even to death’” (4:9).

What’s my point? Jonah was mad at God but he was the one who chose to disobey. He held prejudice in his heart, was racist toward the Chaldeans, and blamed God for loving those he despised. The prophet of God hated his enemies for the cruel ways they treated his countrymen. His expectations were not met, as he hoped Nineveh would not repent and be destroyed.

How often do we blame God when we are the one who walks in disobedience to His revealed will? Anger is an inside-outside job that causes all kinds of problems, one which may lead us into depression. One of the biggest triggers for anger is unmet expectations. When things don’t work out the way we expect, or the way we want them to, or according to what we asked for. If we’re not careful, we can allow those unmet expectations to cause anger, and convoluted thinking. 

Family of Origin – During our growing up years we meet with the good, the bad and everything in-between. None of us were raised by perfect parents. We all experienced soul wounds – some more severe than others, some more impacting. Someone said, “Many spend their adult years getting over their childhood.” This is sad but true.

Even after our salvation, we find that soul wounds try to rob us of the abundant life that Jesus promises. Let’s travel to Ezekiel 18 again, verse 20 – “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.”

Remember, Jesus said, “I came to bring you life, and life more abundant.” That’s why we need to allow God to heal our broken areas, many which developed in our family of origin. Those who refuse to identify their broken areas, repent and find a righteous interpretation of their past, often move through life unable to experience their full potential in God. Sadly, they secretly hold on to their past and allow it to define them. 

Undisciplined Living – A true disciple of Jesus understands that the Christian life is a disciplined life. They understand that their Christian life begins with an event and is worked out in process. Those who refuse to live apart from sin and wholly follow Jesus are unstable. Those who choose to live a double-minded life find it difficult to navigate victorious living. James 1:8 says, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” 

Instead of becoming anchored in the Bible, a local church, an effective prayer life and a resolve to walk in biblical holiness, many find that it’s all too easy to continue “dating the world,” living with one foot in the church and the other in their former lifestyle. When hard times come, they often fall away – many blaming God and the local church for their own misgivings.

My friends, we are the bride of Christ. We are married to Jesus. After I met and married Lori Owens, I quit dating other women. For you see, I was married! When we come to Christ, we quit dating the world, or courting those things that try to pull our affections into the world, the flesh and the devil. 

Feelings that Override Faith – We walk by faith, not by sight. Often we are called to believe those things we don’t see with our natural eyes. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:8  that “Abram went out not knowing…” God told him that He was leading him to a land that “he knew not.”

None of us see the whole picture. We are called to simply trust God. The Christian life is a life of faith. We walk one step at a time. The Lord asks us to trust Him for “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). “The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.”

How many times do we say, “I feel?” While our intent may be good, our feelings often betray us. We must learn to stand on God’s unchanging Word. Some who do not become grounded in their faith through Bible study, church attendance, prayer and fellowship with other believers are tempted to give up in frustration, blaming the Lord for disappointing them. 

Let me ask you again.

Have you ever been mad at God? What part did you play in your emotional response? Have you declared God guilty of not caring, or even not keeping His word? Many do! Re-read the above issues that bring misunderstandings and inaccurate information into our lives. Put your anger aside and crawl up into His lap. 

Not long ago, my mind took me back to my early boyhood Sunday School days. I was feeling sorry for myself and truthfully blaming God for my predicament. “I said, “Jesus, I love you but you have let me down.” In that moment I saw a flannel graph figure of Jesus holding a little boy on His lap. He was smiling and holding the boy close. 

Instead of getting mad at God, why not crawl up into His lap today and ask Him to hold you close?

Let Him pull out any unbelief, anger, blame, and impatience, and fill you with the assurance that He has everything under control.