Are you Angry With God?

I live in a small community. 

Everyone knows everyone and their families.

 I have lived here my whole life and Charlie and I have and continue to raise our kids here.  

This small town has suffered TRAGIC loss after loss after loss and suffering upon suffering recently.

 We have watched young people lose parents and friends and classmates.

 We have lived here long enough that through many of these losses we know and love people in 2 and 3 generations that are profoundly and directly effected.

 There have been accidents and illness and every manner of hurt. 

 I have never quite seen anything like it. 

 I'm listening to the young people, as they are going to many funerals and I hear confusion and anger.

Here is what I want to tell them.....

Get alone with God!  

 Tell him you are confused and hurt and MAD MAD MAD. 

 Tell Him what you are already thinking.

   Put your feelings into words and speak them to HIM.  

 Don't make it pretty or religious.  Make it real, make it true to what you are feeling and thinking.

  HE CAN HANDLE IT, HE IS GOD!  

  This my friends is called 

PRAYER.

  You don't have to say certain words, and it doesn't even have to be nice. 

 Just talk to Him...engage Him.

Say the name of Jesus,  ask HIM FOR HELP!

Psalm 18:6

English Standard Version (ESV)

6 

In my distress I called upon the Lord;

    to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

    and my cry to him reached his ears.

He will not be mad at you. 

 He will not strike you down or try to tell you your feelings are wrong or stupid.

 He is a big God, He created the entire world and YOU too, and He can handle your questions and your hurt.

 He may not give you the answers you want to hear at the moment, but He will answer, and it will be the TRUTH.

 He is so faithful. 

 By asking Him and speaking to Him...you are turning to Him.

  You are giving Him your attention, you are seeking HIM.

 Once you speak your heart to Him...LISTEN TO HIM, this would mean open up His Word.

If you want answers GO TO

  THE ANSWER!!!! 

There is naturally a lot of confusion that comes with hurt...so go where you can get answers.

Go to Him over and over and over, even if you are mad day after day after day, until you get some relief.

 Once you figure out how to make the sun rise everyday, and how to make the air that you breath, then you can ignore Him and live on your own. 

 But since you can't and you won't,

 just turn to Him, IN your anger and your hurt 

TURN TO HIM!

 Just stop for a moment...get off the phone and tell HIM you need to hear from HIM.

  I DARE YOU!!!!  I DARE YOU!!!!

God will not be hurt or offended or scared of your questions.

  He is GOD!!! 

 He is NEVER going to change,

 but He can change you, and comfort you.

 It doesn't have to be pretty, it just needs to happen.

 Don't turn to HIM in an effort to manipulate good from HIM, He is already good.

 So just cry out to HIM, be honest with HIM. 

He can not be manipulated,  but He CAN be found and HE can be TRUSTED.

 Go to HIM in the same way you are turning to everything else, in desperation. 

 Take the same time and energy you are using to ignore Him and run from Him and just get alone with HIM.  

Now, for the people that KNOW HIM already.....STEP UP!!!! 

 You don't have to answer for God...He can answer for HIMSELF.   

 Just point Him out.  

TESTIFY.

Quit getting in the pit of anger  and confusion with the rest of the hurting people. 

Give the people the HOPE you have and point to JESUS.

  Go to church, invite them to church. 

 This is when they need what you have.....they need someone that KNOWS GOD and will share HIM.  Point your friends to the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

People need your testimony EVERY DAY, not just on church days at church events.  

People don't need your advice...they need God.

  Tell them how you don't "get it" either, and you are hurting too...but  that you also don't get how the mountains are formed, but you know the ONE who formed them, and you live with eternal HOPE
in HIM.

Share with them how you talk and seek and fear the God that does

 "GET IT".

  People need the GOD that you have.

Share Him...tell them.

TRUST GOD WITH YOUR FRIENDS, TRUST YOUR FRIENDS WITH GOD!  

Psalm 40:1-3  My Help and My Deliverer

40 

I waited patiently for the Lord;

    he inclined to me and heard my cry.

2 

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

    out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

    making my steps secure.

3 

He put a new song in my mouth,

    a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

    and put their trust in the Lord.