Psalm 71:20-21 Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.²¹ You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.

      Admitting you are angry with God is the first step to finding the answer to your unresolved situation.  Sometimes we pray, and no response comes—at least no answer that we can understand or see.  Whether we are facing the loss of a loved one, an unexpected illness, a financial crisis, the betrayal of a friend, the loss of a dream, or another personal issue, our thoughts often accuse God of being unloving, unkind, and non-caring.  Knowing that God has the power to stop the pain and right the wrong but doesn’t do anything to bring relief, is a test of our faith.  Is God directing our path? Does he really have every hair on our head numbered? Does He understand our trials and pain? If so, why is He taking me through this valley?  Why is He so silent?  Why me?

     I admit that I have had several times in my life where I couldn’t put the puzzle pieces together to understand “why?”  How could God allow this tragedy or injustice? It was the loss of my father that caused me to question.  I prayed for his healing and waited expectantly for the miracle that never came.  I was faced with choices of how I would respond to the unanswered prayers.  Thoughts of anger, unfairness, confusion, and sadness bombarded my mind.  As I struggled before God with these feelings, I remembered a hymn I often heard in my church as a child—“Needing a friend to help me in the end, Where could I go, but to the Lord.” The truth of this hymn sank deep into my thoughts. It was true; there was nowhere else to go but to God. God is my foundation.  It was then I made a conscious decision to submit to God and trust Him. I submitted to God’s sovereignty and His plan. I began to realize that His purposes are greater than my ability to comprehend.  In essence, I chose to “forgive God,” to release my anger, lay down my unanswered questions, take up my cross and follow Christ.  As soon as I released my anger, I felt peace.  I experienced the truth of what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  In this lifetime, I will probably never understand why, but I learned a valuable lesson about letting God be God.  Trust and obey are the two foundational truths that helped me through difficult times.  I chose to let God be God. 

     Signs of anger toward God include a lack of church attendance, inability to pray, avoiding the Bible, generalized anger and bitterness, and a loss of genuine feelings of love for others.  Each of these responses influences your performance as a teacher. In my struggle, I realized that God was there all the time, watching, waiting and caring for me.  My response was to repent for judging God, submit to his sovereignty and choose to believe Romans 8:28  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Dear God, Minister to those who are angry, hurting, and disillusioned.  Pour your love out to them and bring comfort to their grief and pain.  Bring sunshine where there is rain, and bring hope where there is hopelessness.  Teach us to choose to trust you more. You are sovereign.