How to Have Faith When You’re Angry with God
I’ll admit that there have been times in my life where I’ve been angry with God.
Whether it was an unanswered prayer, devastating news or a prolonged time of suffering, the anger that surfaces often gets directed at God, making it hard to stand strong in my faith.
This anger often leads to guilt and shame in my faith - driving me further from peace and a relationship with the Lord.
But the anger that results from suffering isn’t bad. In fact, this anger is normal, it’s expected.
In order to grieve the painful trial you are going through, anger is a healthy stage to sort through.
So how do you remain strong in your faith when you’re angry with God? How do you hold firm to the peace and hope of Christ when anger crowds your heart?
Don’t Rely on Your Feelings
Feelings are natural, they aren’t wrong. Even Jesus grew angry when he saw sin and injustice. It’s important to allow yourself to feel the anger you’re experiencing in a healthy way.
But at the same time, it is essential to view the emotion in a healthy way. Feelings and emotions are a temporary response. Your emotions are not truth and you have to remember to rely on God’s truth even in the midst of whirlwind emotions.
Satan wants you to believe that your anger is good and right and although it is okay to feel angry - it’s not okay to remain angry or to act in anger.
Ask God to show you what healthy anger looks like and remember to keep it in perspective with God’s truth.
Confess and Surrender
When you are angry at God it’s often the hardest to confess and surrender it to Him.
It’s hard enough to surrender any anger to the Lord, let alone when you feel angry at God.
But that is why it is SO important to confess this anger and surrender it. When you do, Satan loses his grasp on the situation.
Just as our anger gives Satan a foothold, so confessing it takes away his power over us.
I encourage you to write out a prayer of surrender so that you can pray it daily - even when it feels impossible.
Cling to God’s Promises
No matter how you are feeling it is so important to cling to the truth.
Satan will try to pull you down with any lie he can. When we are angry we are vulnerable which makes it so much more important to take a stand against Satan.
As hard as it seems, choose a few verses that shine truth on what you’re going through. Write them down, post them around. Use them as tools to stand against Satan’s lies.
When you feel angry at God it is essential to consistently place the feelings in perspective, confess and surrender them and cling to the truth of God’s promises. When you do these 3 things, you will find the peace and strength to stand firm in your faith.
Thank you!
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Love these thoughts, Nicole. The theologian John Owen called these moments “hard thoughts about God,” but oh how they’re necessary to have if we’re really going to grow in an authentic relationship with Him. If we have the same God as the Psalmist who wrote pleaded with God, “don’t abandon the work of your hands,” or of Job who continually lamented, we need to remember that it’s okay for us as well, as long as we still “keep the faith” and remember some of the points you mentioned, Nicole.
It wasn’t that long ago I was angry with God and I learned He is a big God and He can take it. Once I surrender it to Him, He helps me break free from the anger. I love how you remind us to cling to God’s promises! I say that daily because the Bible is full of His promises! Thank you so much!
I’ve been in this place as well, and it’ such a comfort to know when all the angry words have been spouted and all the tears shed that God takes us warts and all, with infinite love and forgiveness. What mercy!
Such an important truth! We do need to feel our feelings, but then move forward in faith rooted in God’s truth! Beautifully written!
Thank you for the reminder that my feelings are not reliable but God’s word is reliable and that is what I need to cling to!
Great post! I have written similar stuff 🙂 it’s so important to know what to do with your feelings, because in and of themselves they aren’t wrong, it’s what we do with them. It’s a daily battle of our minds. 🙄 so exhausting, yet yields so much peace and joy.