God and Me in Twenty-Three (2023): Have you ever been mad at God?
Have you ever been mad at God? Really mad at God! I’m talking about a deep down hurting inside, mad at God! So mad you could “spit nails” as my Dad used to say!
I watched the movie “The Shack” this past week. It’s the second time I have watched it, and it wasn’t any easier to view this time than it was the first time. It’s about a man who is mad at God in the way I described above. Due to two family tragedies in his life, Mack was blaming God for not intervening in the situations. As a viewer, I began to experience the same feelings and emotions as Mack in the movie. Feelings of… it’s not right God, it’s not fair, don’t You care?
Through a series of circumstances, Mack encounters God the Father, Jesus the Son, and The Holy Spirit. Over a period of time, they explain to Mack that they care very deeply, and bad decisions breaks their heart. They explained to him that due to the freedom of choice that God has granted to each of us, decisions are made. Sometimes those decisions are good, sometimes bad, and sometimes very bad! It’s those very bad choices that we tend to blame God for. Sometimes those choices are determined by us, sometimes by other people, and sometimes by the influence of satan himself. If God overruled the bad choices any of us make, we truly wouldn’t have freedom to choose at all! I feel it’s also important to mention that natural disasters can also cause pain and suffering. The common phrase “It was an act of God” is not true! Natural disasters are a result of the curse that originated in the Garden of Eden as a result of sin. Much like natural disasters, accidents are not caused by God and can also cause much pain and suffering. Remember… God is not at fault!
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT2)
19“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
People make choices every day and many of them affect them personally, and often times affect others for the rest of their life. Is it God’s fault if we as human beings make bad choices? I have heard some people say, “I couldn’t serve a God that would allow such terrible things to happen!” So, if God took away our freedom to choose, we would become nothing more than robots being programed and directed by God. He chose not to do that but to allow each of us to choose to serve him of our own free will.
Back to the movie “The Shack”… Mack goes on to encounter a woman called Wisdom, clearly representing the Wisdom of God. Referring to the terrible events that were haunting him, the following exchange took place:
Wisdom: God didn’t cause it.
Mack: He didn’t stop it.
Wisdom: He (God) doesn’t stop a lot of things that cause Him pain… you want a promise of a pain-free life… it’s not possible as long as there is free will.
If we trust in God, He promises to bring something good out of bad or even tragic situations.
Romans 8:28 (NLT2)
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.
My prayer is that we all choose to serve the Lord regardless of the good or difficult times we are going through.
Proverbs 3:5-8 (NIV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Thanks for the New Year lesson Mike! Another good one! I read the book many years ago. Freewill is very good thing, but the circumstances of life can be very difficult to accept at times. Thank the Lord He is with us always! ❤️🙏🏻🙂