Have You Ever Been Angry at God?

 

Have you ever been angry at God? Jonah did. He was upset at how God was handling things. (Read Jonah 4) He had an offense against God. It created a rift, a barrier between him and God. Sometimes atheists have an offense against God, so they reject His reality. I'm just going to ignore you! But really, something terrible happened to them personally and they blame God for it. Their anger towards an "imaginary" deity tips it off. But believers can have an offense against God too, like Jonah. It can drift into atheism, "God can't be good since this happened to me, therefore I reject Him." But usually, it's far more subtle. When they hold on to the offense it turns into apathy. Their relationship to God becomes distant and acts of faith turn to routine, tradition, going through the motions. When examined closely, they're living as atheistic Christians. Examine your heart. Has God offended you? If you don't settle it, His presence will slip farther and farther away, until one day, He's not there. Like an unwanted lover, if they love you enough, they'll give you your space. Love, by definition, cannot be coerced, it must be offered freely.