“The problem with our anger toward God is not the anger itself but how we handle the anger.”- Dr. Gary Chapman
As Dr. Gary Chapman concludes Chapter 11 of Anger, he analyzes our anger with God as distorted anger. Even though no wrongdoing occurs on God’s part, we still experience real anger. In addition, Gary states, we don’t choose anger. Rather, we respond in anger. We believe God could have averted the situation that brought us great pain.
Although God made us with the capacity for anger, we carry the responsibility for handling that anger. Dr. Chapman ends the chapter with a detailed description of three steps for responsibly handling anger. Gary discusses the first step today.
STEP ONE: Take the anger to God. Feel free to express your perception of things to God. Unlike human beings, God doesn’t experience hurt feelings. He’s neither disturbed nor surprised by your anger. God desires that you share your thoughts and feelings with Him. As our compassionate Father, God wants to hear our complaints. As our sovereign God, however, He does no wrong.
Both the prophet Elijah and God’s servant Job expressed anger toward God. Their stories illustrate the value of talking to God about our anger, as Dr. Chapman summarizes:
“He [God] will either help us understand His perspective on our present situation as He did with Elijah; or He may, without explanation, simply ask us to trust Him as He did with His servant Job.”
Today’s question: In the aftermath of your ministry downsizing or vocation loss, how have you expressed your anger toward God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Cain or Elijah?”
