Course Correction

Three different times I [Paul] begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. – 2 Corinthians 12:8–9

When you think back on things that you prayed for and didn’t receive, what is your response? Maybe you are thinking of painful losses—how you prayed earnestly for a different outcome, and you don’t understand why it happened. Tragic loss, betrayal and many other challenges are part of living in a fallen world, and yet God can use these things for good. Your anger toward God for these types of losses and challenges is part of processing grief. You can go to the Lord with your pain and frustration, and he wants you to. The bitterness and resentment that threaten your relationship with God would be another loss that could be devastating. Express your anger and confusion to God. Work it out so that you aren’t lost too.

What about the anger you have toward God when things don’t go your way in other circumstances? Perhaps you were hoping for a raise, or maybe you were passed over for a promotion or recognition. Maybe you feel like you are running up against a wall and God isn’t there to help you. Or maybe you are praying for something that really isn’t what God has planned for you.

You can’t always get what you want, and that can be a really good thing, but not if you expect God to be like Santa. If that is your version of the Most High God, you are going to be disappointed and likely be frustrated with life and God. His training, standard, and desire for your life have a definitive path to make you more like Christ. The decision will be yours; will you accept course correction when it occurs, or will you refuse God and become angry and disconnected?

Could it be that God is so intensely personal that he would burn down your world in hopes of building it back? – Matt Chandler

I have not lost faith in God. I have moments of anger and protest. Sometimes I have been closer to him for that reason. – Elie Wiesel

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord, I don’t understand why things happen the way they do. Help me to trust you and let go of any resentment that may keep me from experiencing all you have for me—even when it looks different than my expectations. I desire your will for my life. Amen.

Taken from 100 Days to Freedom from Anger copyright © 2021 by Stephen Arterburn and Becky Brown. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.