Anger and God

DAILY BYTE

The last misconception is that you must never, ever be mad at God. Many people feel that it is never ok, under any circumstances, to be upset with God. Phillip Yancey describes how his publishers tried to get him to change the title of his book “Disappointed with God,” to “Overcoming Disappointment with God,” because they felt people would be upset and threatened by the first title.

Again, this is in stark contrast with much of what you find in the Bible, most particularly the Psalms. Some of the Psalms are up 3500 years old, but if you compare them to other religious literature of the time (i.e. literature concerned with other cultures and gods), you find that the ancient Israelites were unique in the ways that they would challenge, admonish and express doubt or disappointment in God.

Just one example is today’s focus reading, Psalm 22.1-2, which you might remember was quoted by Jesus when he was on the cross.

The Hasidic Tales includes the story of Dovid Din of Jerusalem, who was approached by a man suffering through a crisis of belief. Whatever reply Rabbi Dovid attempted was angrily dismissed by this man. So Dovid Din restrained himself, and simply listened to the man rant and rave.

Finally, he said to him, “Why are you so angry at God?” This question stunned the man, as up to this point he had said nothing at all about God. The man grew very quiet and then said to Dovid Din, “All my life I have been so afraid to express my anger to God that I have always directed my anger at people who are connected with God. But until this moment I did not understand this.”

Then Dovid Din led the man to a quiet space on the Wailing Wall. There he told him to express all the anger he felt toward God. Then, for more than an hour, the man struck the wall with his hands and screamed his anger. After that he began to cry and cry, until little by little, those cries became sobs that turned into prayers.

And that is how Rabbi Dovid Din taught him to pray.

And this is how the Psalms with teach us to pray, to have faith, to live and to be. For the Psalms help remind us that profound change happens always IN the presence of God. Over and over they attest to the reality that when we open our minds and hearts fully to the God who made us, then we open ourselves to the possibility of being transformed beyond imagining.

For as Jesus reminds us this is what God wants most from his followers. And so may this be you ... may you be free to be simply and honestly yourself.

For you will find it is enough.

PRAYER

Once again O Lord, help me to be simply and honestly myself and to bring every dark corner of my heart - every emotion, every fear, every doubt out into the light of your love. In Jesus name. Amen.

READING

Psalm 22: 1-2 (NRSV)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.