We all get angry but is it wrong to be angry with God?

I recently received a phone call from a friend asking me if being angry with God would cause her to go to hell. It is interesting to me how many people are angry with God. Unanswered prayers, when God didn’t intervene and life took a damaging turn, often raise questions about God’s love and causes us to wonder if God is trustworthy. At one time or another, most people experience something that challenges their faith and many experience the feelings of anger toward God. What do we say to a friend or loved one who is angry with God?

First, we say it is normal and natural. Anger is an emotion. We have them. Christians have them. Even Jesus had them. Paul teaches us that it isn’t anger that is the problem but what we do with it.

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” Ephesians 4:26

When anger dominates our life, it produces unhealthy results. It damages our relationships, taints our decisions, and can drive a wedge in our relationship with God. It is one thing to be angry and another thing to move in to angers home and live with anger for the rest of your life. A lifetime of anger is only going to make both you and those around you miserable, but in the end, it is not a salvation issue. No one goes to hell because they are angry with God.

Second, we must remind one another of God’s amazing love. God did not create evil. God loves you and is constantly working for you. Being angry at evil, sin, and hate is a demonstration of the same anger that God has for the sin, pain, and evil in His broken world. However, being angry with God, his love, goodness, and the hope He gives needs to be fixed. God is sympathetic and understands when we are angry. God is not insecure. God is able to receive our anger. We can trust God to handle our emotions with the greatest of mercy. The Bible is filled with examples of prayers and songs that cry out to God in anger. Trust the love of God enough to give it all to God and give Him a chance to put His arms around you and tell you He still loves you.

Remember God already knows how we feel when we pray. So hiding our feelings from God instead of confessing what we feel in honest prayer will only make matters worse. The truth is that anger can drive us into a deeper relationship with God or drive us away from God into unbelief. As I said, it isn’t that we are angry but it is what we do with that anger that makes a difference.

Therefore, our final word is this, do not fake it. Get your anger out into the open. Sing about your pain. Pray about your confusion. Scream about your loneliness. Whisper your feelings of despair in the night. Do it in a manner that seeks to know God’s love deeper in the anger. Use the body of Christ to help. Friends in Christ always want to help. Find a friend that can love you when you share your soul and will point you to the one who heals, Jesus. If you are stuck, get help. Why choose to be angry if you can find peace. Be willing to let it go before it leads to something else.