Anger at God

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18

We may not talk about it much, but the fact is that Christians sometimes get angry with God when we feel that God has treated us unfairly. This often comes after a difficult event, such as a child being diagnosed with a serious disease or being born with a physical or mental abnormality. If this anger is not dealt with properly, it will cause marital discord. Why? We don’t feel comfortable expressing our anger to God, so we may express it to our spouse. Our spouse will feel trampled on when the situation was not his or her fault. As a result, our spouse will also become angry. Two angry people do not make for a good marriage.

If you feel that God has been unfair to you, let me encourage you to take your anger directly to him. You need not feel ashamed of your emotions; you can freely express your heart to God. You will not upset him, and your anger will not catch him by surprise.

When Job was going through a time of intense suffering, he desperately wanted to know why. He brought his questions to God, and God listened—and eventually responded. God did not explain everything; in fact, he responded with more questions than answers. However, Job was reassured that God was present, had heard him, and was fully in control. He responded in wonder, “I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes” (Job 42:5). Often when we express our anger to God, he comforts us by renewing our perspective.

The Lord knows your heart and wants to walk with you through your pain. As Psalm 34 reminds us, he is close to the brokenhearted. The first step in finding healing is admitting to him that you are feeling anger.

Father, when I am angry at you, I often take it out on my spouse, even though I know that’s inappropriate. Please forgive me, and help me to treat my loved one with kindness even in the midst of emotional turmoil. Thank you for being big enough to handle all of my emotions, even my anger.