Understanding Your Anger Towards God

“Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to Him in trust and confidence.” ~ Billy Graham

In the past, whenever I heard someone say that they had anger towards God, I felt upset. It just didn’t make sense to me. I mean, why would you ever be resentful towards the One that has it all under control, the One that is loving, good and faithful?

But then it happened to me!

Recently, I had been fighting a physical illness that lasted a few weeks, with little to no relief. It wasn’t until my girlfriend Val called one afternoon, and I started to share my heart with her, that I realized how much I was carrying inside. I knew that the heaviness in my spirit was contributing to my physical ailment.

Proverbs 13:12 says, “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” I realized through my conversation with my dear friend that I was feeling a lot of sadness and discouragement that stemmed from recent losses I have endured. Since I have yet not seen many of my dreams come to fruition, I have felt as if my prayers are not being heard by God.

And then I said it. I spoke the very same words I had resented others saying:

“I feel mad at God for not answering my prayers!“

What? How could these words possibly come out of my mouth?

They were in my heart, that’s how (Matthew 15:18).

Have you ever blamed God because He didn’t give you the desires of your heart, or protect you or a loved one? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. Many struggle with their faith when their prayers aren’t answered, and things don’t go the way they had hoped. But why is it that we blame and get mad at God?

I wonder if our anger towards God for unanswered prayers isn’t connected to roots of rejection. When God seems silent to our cries, we feel abandoned and betrayed, as if He were intentionally mistreating us. In this way, we are relating to God as we do with people.

We put our human limits and wisdom onto a wise, loving and sovereign God.

We become like spoiled little children that demand our own way. Having faith in God doesn’t mean He’s a genie in a bottle and will give us whatever we want. Believing in and following Jesus Christ isn’t some kind of insurance policy against hardships. Actually quite the contrary is true-Jesus clearly told us that, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33).

So why is it that we get upset with God when our circumstances are not ideal?

When we see God as personally responsible for the things that go wrong in our lives and we interpret His intentions as being cruel, we become mad at Him.

Whenever you find yourself angry at God, be willing to take an honest look at the condition of your heart and your relationship with the Lord.

This is what I had to do recently, on that day after my little temper tantrum toward my heavenly Father. I was led to Psalm 139:23-24, which helped me take a hard look at myself:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
 Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

I was convicted as I realized that my frustration towards God was correlated to my mental, emotional and spiritual frame of mind. Since I had not been in a good place with Jesus, I was failing to focus on His character. My sin was a lack of faith, which was causing anxiety within me. All because of my need to be in control. I decided that day to make Psalm 139:23 and 24 a part of my daily prayer. They can be for you as well.

When I’m spiritually grounded, I have an inner peace through the good seasons, but also through the challenging ones. My faith ought to be built on God’s promises found in His word, the Holy Bible, my heart posture surrendered and submitted. In those dark moments I must remind myself that God’s ways are higher than my ways, and that as a human being I cannot always understand His will, and that God’s very nature is love (1 John 4:8), and I can trust Him at all times.

Let God’s character and His promises become the pillars of hope and strength for you.

Focus on the truth found in Psalm 34:8:

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!”

It’s important to find a way to express your anger towards God and not keep it inside where it will fester and turn into bitterness and resentment.

That day I went through a process of dealing with my anger towards God. It began with being honest with Him. I literally cried and cried out to Jesus. Since I have an authentic relationship with Him, I have to be willing to be raw and vulnerable before Him. After I “let it out,” and shared my honest feelings, I spent some time confessing and repenting. This helped me feel God’s presence again. I then told Him that I was willing to submit myself to His Lordship.

Anger is a part of human nature and in itself is not a sin. It’s okay to feel upset with God, but it’s not okay to not do something about it. Keeping your feelings of anxiety, fear, and/or insecurity inside will eventually turn into resentment towards God. This in turn could potentially cause you to turn away from your faith, which is exactly what the enemy wants.

The first step toward dealing with your anger towards God begins with you being authentic with yourself and with God.

God is all-wise and all-powerful. He is the one that rules the entire universe. When you feel like your life is falling apart, He is the only one you can count on. Don’t let the enemy tell you differently. Everything you think is yours (relationships, money, houses, etc.) can be stripped from you, but not God. He will never ever leave you. He is your anchor in the storm and your light in the darkness.

As a Christian you have to be mindful of the spiritual warfare you are in constantly. The enemy of your soul (Satan) will always try to get you out of fellowship with God. When you feel sad and hurt because your prayers aren’t being answered, don’t blame God. Resist the lie that God doesn’t love you and that that He is rejecting you. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” – Psalm 130:1-2