What Do You Do When You Are Angry At God?

“Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

— Psalm 62:8 NKJV

Growing up with a religious background, I shuddered at the thought that I could actually be angry at God.

How could I be angry at God?

Wasn’t I supposed to trust Him?

Wasn’t I supposed to have faith?

Was I even allowed to admit that I was hurt, disappointed, and angry with Him?

But the truth was…

I was angry at God.

I discovered that I was angry because I felt like God had allowed my family to be torn apart. I questioned why He allowed certain things to happen and why He didn’t intervene the way I thought He should have.

But as I grew in my knowledge of God and His Word, I began to understand something I hadn’t fully grasped before:

We live in a fallen and sinful world, and people have free will.

My parents made choices.

Those choices were theirs.

I couldn’t control their decisions, and neither could I go back and change what happened.

That realization didn’t immediately take away my pain, but it helped me understand that God wasn’t the author of every painful decision people make.

People decide how they are going to live their lives.

We can pray.

We can intercede.

We can believe God for change.

But ultimately, we cannot control another person’s choices.

We have to surrender them to God and allow Him to do what only He can do.

I Was Angry and Hurt

For a long time, I didn’t realize that underneath my anger was hurt.

I was disappointed.

I was grieving.

I was carrying questions I didn’t know how to answer.

And because I didn’t think I was allowed to be angry with God, I carried shame and condemnation on top of the pain.

But God began to teach me that He wasn’t asking me to hide my emotions from Him.

He was asking me to bring them to Him.

The Bible says:

“Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

— Psalm 62:8 NKJV

God already knows what’s in your heart.

He knows you’re angry.

He knows you’re disappointed.

He knows you’re asking, “Why did You allow this?”

You don’t have to pretend with Him.

What Do You Do When You’re Angry at God?

You come to Him.

Not away from Him.

To Him.

Tell Him the truth.

“Father, I’m angry.”

“I’m hurt.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I thought You would have stopped this.”

“I don’t understand why You allowed this.”

And then sit in His presence.

Let Him minister to the wounded places.

Because sometimes what we call anger is actually unprocessed grief.

Sometimes anger is covering disappointment.

Sometimes anger is protecting a heart that has been wounded for years.

And sometimes we need to allow God to reveal what’s underneath the anger so He can heal it.

I Had to Forgive God

It took me coming to God many timesbefore I was finally able to release the pain of my past.

I had to forgive them.

I had to forgive myself.

And, yes, I even had to “forgive God.”

Now, God didn’t need my forgiveness because He had done something wrong.

But I needed to release my accusation against Him.

I had to let go of the belief that God had failed me.

I had to surrender the questions I couldn’t answer.

I had to stop holding God responsible for the choices other people made.

And I had to trust Him with the parts of my story I still didn’t understand.

I Had to Forgive Myself

This was a big one for me.

I had to forgive myself for being angry at God.

I had carried shame and condemnation because I thought a “good Christian” wasn’t supposed to feel that way.

But shame wasn’t healing me.

Condemnation wasn’t restoring me.

God’s grace was.

I had to understand that God wasn’t standing over me with condemnation because I was hurting.

He was inviting me closer.

There is a difference between conviction and condemnation.

God lovingly reveals what needs healing so He can restore us.

The enemy wants us to hide in shame.

But God says:

Come to Me.

If You’re Angry at God, It’s Okay to Admit It.

If you find that you’re angry at God, it’s okay to admit it.

His shoulders can bear it.

He isn’t fragile.

He isn’t surprised.

He already knows you’re mad anyway.

He just wants you to finally admit it and bring it to Him.

Don’t allow your anger to become a wall between you and God.

Let it become an invitation to deeper intimacy.

Bring Him your questions.

Bring Him your disappointment.

Bring Him your grief.

Bring Him your anger.

Bring Him the things you don’t understand.

He can handle all of it.

And then allow Him to heal the wounded places.

Oh, the Peace That Comes When You Let It Go

There came a point when I realized:

I was not meant to carry that load anymore.

The pain of the past didn’t belong in my future.

The anger didn’t belong in my heart.

The shame didn’t belong on my shoulders.

The condemnation didn’t belong in my identity.

So I released it.

I released the pain.

I released the questions.

I released the anger.

I forgave.

And little by little, peace came.

Not because everything that happened was okay.

Not because I suddenly understood everything.

But because I finally surrendered it to the One who could carry what I couldn’t.

Prayer:

Father,

Today I come to You with my whole heart.

I don’t want to hide my anger, disappointment, questions, or pain from You anymore.

You already know what’s in my heart.

Forgive me for the times I have blamed You for things You did not do or for choices other people made.

Help me understand that I live in a fallen world where people have free will and make their own choices.

Where I have been hurt, heal me.

Where I have been disappointed, restore me.

Where I have carried anger, help me release it.

Where I have carried shame and condemnation, help me receive Your grace.

Teach me to trust You even when I don’t understand.

I forgive those who have hurt me.

I forgive myself for the things I have carried.

And I release every accusation, every question, every disappointment, and every wound into Your hands.

I don’t have to carry this anymore.

You are my refuge.

You are my healer.

You are my Father.

And I choose to come to You instead of running from You.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Take some time sit with the Holy Spirit and ask:

Am I angry with God about something that happened in my life?

What am I really angry about?

Is there hurt underneath my anger?

Have I blamed God for choices other people made?

Am I carrying shame or condemnation because of my feelings?

Is there someone I need to forgive?

Is there something I need to release to God?

Do I need to forgive myself?

What would it look like for me to trust God with what I don’t understand?

Stay Connected

Stay connected with me via email. Be the first to see my weekly devotional,  upcoming events, book release dates, as well as words of encouragement.

🔗 Link is below ⬇️ ⬇️⬇️

https://rebrand.ly/9g6cvqy