“The call of God is that we trust Him in the darkness as we trusted Him in the light. He has not changed, even though our circumstances have been painfully altered.”- Dr. Gary Chapman
Gary Chapman begins Chapter 11 (“When You are Angry with God”) of Anger by observing that “Christians often experience anger toward God in the face of tragedy.” In fact, often the intensity of a Christian’s anger toward God corresponds directly to the strength of his/her faith.
However, Dr. Chapman explains that anger toward God is human, not sinful:
“We have a concern for righteousness, and whenever we encounter what we perceive to be unjust situations, we experience anger. Because we know that our all-powerful God could have averted there events, our anger often turns toward God.”
Hurting Christians, Gary notes, often ask this question: “Why did God not do something?” As Dr. Chapman ponders this question, two alternatives come to mind:
- God could eliminate all sinful people and thus wipe out all the pain caused by their sinful acts. Consequently, this alternative eliminates the entire human race. Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned.”
- God could step in and miraculously avert the consequences of all evil. However, this alternative removes human freedom. People become robots that must only do good deeds.
Freedom, Dr. Chapman states, cannot exist without the possibility of evil. Furthermore, evil begets negative consequences. That, in turn, begs the question: “Why isn’t God taking better care of His children?”
Such a question reminds us of our limited perspective. The call of God means trusting Him “in the darkness as we trusted Him in the light.”
Today’s question: How would you describe the call of God in your life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our anger toward God”
