When difficult circumstances arise in life we expect the overwhelming flood of emotions that follows.
Grief.
Sorrow.
A little self-pity.
But there's one emotion that sneaks up on us unexpectedly tainting the corners of our heart with a fiery red heat.
It begins with a lingering question. A lack of understanding. A why? that goes unanswered.
The nagging thought grows into an all-consuming fire and leaves us angry.
At the circumstance.
At the pain.
At God.
Before we know it, we find ourselves asking questions that few people seem willing to voice aloud.
Is it ok to be mad at God?
Are we mere humans allowed to question His goodness and mercy?
Does our anger at God make Him angry at us?
I certainly don't have all the answers, but I have been angry at God. More times than I care to admit.
I have turned my eyes toward heaven with tears of anger streaming down my face and asked God how He could possibly claim to be good while allowing the things He allows.
I have laid in my bedroom floor and had a temper tantrum that would put any three year old to shame.
And I have found that our Father -- the One who created us with emotions that rage like an uncontrollable flood in our lives -- can handle our anger.
Even when it's directed at Him.
He can take it.
And, when we are ready, He will teach us through it. He will reveal Himself to us more completely.
And we will experience, firsthand, the goodness and mercy that we doubted was there.
The Old Testament man of God, Job, went through circumstances that most of us can barely begin to imagine, losing his children, his wealth and then his health. You will hear many people say that Job never cursed God, which is true.
But if you read the book of Job, you will find that he got a little hot under the collar.
At God.
Job questioned God. He even challenged God to prove to him why he deserved the bad things that had happened to him.
Job ranted and raved.
A lot.
Then, when Job was all done.
God did something remarkable. He answered Job. He revealed Himself to a mere human.
Job sat awestruck in the presence of God. His anger was silenced. He listened. I imagine he learned a lot about God. About life. And about himself.
And, in the end, God rained good things down on Job once more.
God met Job's anger with mercy.
The same mercy that flowed from Calvary.
Jesus bore the anger of those who spat on Him.Those who beat him. Those who finally nailed Him to a cross. And as He hung there dying with some of His final words, He begged forgiveness for them.
Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.
He does the same for us.
In our worst moments, He intercedes on our behalf.
Forgive them Father.
God can handle our anger.
He understands our lack of understanding. He understands our humanity. And the raw emotions that sometimes get the best of us.
He will listen to us rant and rave.
And when we're ready to listen to Him, He'll reveal Himself to us and leave us speechless.
At His goodness.
At His mercy.
At His lack of anger towards us.
