Raging Against the Lord (W.o.W. Rewind)

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, 

yet their heart rages against the LORD.

(Proverbs 19:3)

Oh, how many times I have been guilty of this. How many times has my heart cried out in anger, "Why did you let this happen to me Lord!? Why didn't you warn me!? Why didn't you remind me!? Why didn't you help me!? How could you do this to me!?" In reality, I know it was my own fault. I know I made a bad choice. I know I failed to remember some important detail, yet I want to blame God. So, my heart rages.

Chances are you do the same, because this is nothing less than the scene from the Garden of Eden played out again and again in our lives. Like Adam and Eve, we want to shift blame from ourselves to someone else, and when no one else is there to take the blame, we shift it onto God. The truth is...God is not to blame. We are. We are the ones that chose to lie, or to betray, or to put off our responsibilities. We are the ones who allowed our arrogance to drive our friends away. We chose laziness over hard work and yet don't understand why God hasn't given us the success that others have. We have run after the world's way of living instead of God's way.

Galatians 6 tells us that there are consequences for our decisions. We reap what we sow. When we sow to the flesh, we reap a harvest of destruction. In essence, this proverb says that when the harvest comes in rotten we shouldn't blame God, but rather should blame the bad seeds of our own behavior that we chose to plant in our life. Even for believers, this rings true. Though our eternal punishment has been covered at the cross, God still disciplines us in Fatherly love here on earth. All of us must live with the consequences for our sin in this life. We dare not blame God for what we brought on ourselves.

Sometimes the most innocent among us suffer at the hands of someone else's sin though. There are those who have been molested or abused, or even the child who is born with deformities. There are some things in this world that happen to us that are not our fault. They do not happen because of our sin but as a result of the sins of others or even of sin in general. Yet, even in these circumstances we have no right to "rage against the Lord." As Job said, "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" (Job 2:10) God is God. He cannot now, nor has He ever sinned. These atrocities that happen to us are the result of man's sin, not God's. It isn't fair, and it isn't right. It causes us to long for Heaven where all things will be right. But in the meantime, God gives us reason to rejoice even in these circumstances for the Bible says that God "works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose."

So, let me ask you... What have you been holding against God that you have no right to blame Him for? What have you been blaming on God that you really need take responsibility for yourself? What angry thoughts, words, or actions towards God do you need to repent of today? May the Lord grant both of us more strength and grace to accept the consequences for our faults without blaming Him.


For further reading...

• Genesis 3 (especially verses 8-13)- Check out how Adam and Eve tried to push blame off themselves and onto someone else.
• Galatians 6:1-7 & Romans 6:23- The Bible clearly teaches that there are consequences for our sin.
• Job 1-2:10- There is no doubt that God could have stopped the trouble that came upon Job, yet Job chooses not to "rage against" Him.

Harsh Words

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

Proverbs 25:15

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

This one's for me. This devotion wasn't written about some verses I pulled from my quiet time. No, this time I'm preaching to myself about something I have noticed springing up out of my own heart in my behavior that I do not like. Lately, I have been more frustrated than usual. I have had a shorter fuse. And I have been harsher with my family than I care to admit. 

Every time I tell my kids to do something, I get three questions, two arguments, and at least one complaint. To be clear, my kids are amazing! This is normal behavior for five and two year olds. And it is normal for me as a parent to be frustrated by it. But the problem is how I have responded to that frustration. As I push back on their disobedience I have gotten louder, I have used harsher tones, and I have gotten nowhere.

I can't be the only one. I know I am not. Even for those of you who don't have young children anymore. You know what it is like to deal with subordinates or even equals in the workplace. You know how frustrating it can be deal with other people too, even sometimes your spouse. But over this short span of time I have realized that this isn't the kind of father I want to be. Don't succumb to the temptation to railroad people. Don't raise your voice just because you are frustrated or angry at them. Learn to control yourself. Say what needs to be said but be gentle. Be soft.  

If you will give this a try you will find that more of what you are saying actually gets through when you are gentle. When I am gentle but firm with my kids, they listen. But when I allow my frustration to boil over in harsh tones, it triggers their defenses. Their walls go up. And no matter how right I am, they will never admit it. No matter how loud I get, they will only feign listening to me. 

Being loud is a great way to make sure you are heard, but it is a lousy way to get people to listen. If you feel ignored, try a different approach. Be gentle. Be patient. Be clear and be firm but be loving. Don't bully people by sheer force of will. Win their hearts. Make them want to follow you because they trust you.

A Tale of Three Men

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

James 1:19-20

Here is the man who isn't quick to listen. Listening is a waste of time for him because he already knows what you are going to say. He cuts you off mid-sentence with his retort. He efficiently uses the time you are speaking not to gain perspective but to catch his breath and plot his next argument. He is wise in his own eyes, but not in God's eyes.

Here is the man who speaks too quickly. He has no filter. Whatever enters into his mind comes out of his mouth straight away. He takes no time to consider if it should be spoken, if it is helpful or if it is even true. He simply says what he thinks. In fact, he takes pride in doing so. "I'm a straight shooter. I say what is on my mind," he says. But this is not the mark of honesty, nor is it a trait to be aspired to. No, a Christian ought to be thoughtful in his words. He ought to always remember what damage the tongue can do and seek to harness it (James 3:3-12). Otherwise his religion is worthless (James 1:26). 

Lastly, here is the man who is quickly angered. He goes from happiness to all out rage in 60 seconds or less. His anger moves too quickly for him to determine if it's directed at the right person or even if it's an appropriate response at all. Thus, he often yells at people only to regret it later. It doesn't take much to set him off. He gives no one the benefit of the doubt or the best reading of the details. He quickly believes any gossip he hears and receives any perceived slight in the worst possible light. He never pauses to ask himself questions before his anger runs ahead. He doesn't ask, "Does this person want to hurt me? Do they even realize they are hurting me?" No, this man has incredible insight into the souls of all people. With very few details at all, he can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that his friend attacked him intentionally with the worst possible motives. 

When we look on these three men as a character sketch, it is easy to see that we do not want to be like them. Yet many of us resemble at least one of the three. It would be impossible to calculate how many conflicts in the church would be avoided if we would only follow the advice in these verses. Let's be known for how well we listen. Let's speak less and have fewer regrets. And let's switch our anger from microwave mode to crock pot mode. Refuse to be angry at anyone until you are sure it is the right response. Give them the benefit of the doubt until all the facts are in. Then we will be more like God and our growth in righteousness will not be stunted.