Sometimes the tough times never get better. They only get worse.
Our prayers seem to go unanswered. The worst possible outcome materializes, and our suffering is intense.
God did not protect us at our most vulnerable moment, and we are completely crushed.
At these times, it is easy to become angry at God and bitterly disappointed with him.
These feelings are entirely normal, even for God’s staunchest allies.
No matter how close we are to God, unfair calamities can raise questions about his trustworthiness.
We should not feel guilty if our initial response to suffering includes doubt and anger. This is the natural inclination of our fallen nature.
God is not startled by our reaction. He can handle our hostility and cynicism. He never requires our correct response to appease him. Our honesty will never temper his love for us or diminish his willingness to deliver aid.
That said, we should avoid nurturing our doubts and anger. We will never gain access to the full array of God’s aid and experience true contentment if we let these feelings harden into resentment.
Instead, we must harbor a willingness not to be mad at God, not to doubt him.
If we tell God that we are willing to not be mad at him, despite our abject disappointment, he will assuage our doubts and anger until we are ready to agree that he is who he claims to be—our refuge, our comforter, our redeemer, our deliverer, and our friend.
What if we are so disappointed with God, due to the intensity of our suffering, that we cannot muster even the willingness not to be mad at him?
No worries. We just need to tell God that we are willing to be willing to not be mad at him.
He will take it from there.
