Processing Our Anger at God

 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” - Exodus 16:2-3

On Monday we looked at how it was God who led Israel to the dead end where there was no food and again to the dead end where there was no water. And yet the people got mad at Moses and Aaron. Why is that?

Anger is a tricky thing, isn’t it? It’s so easy NOT to do the hard work of interrogating our anger. It feels so much better to let it out. But if we did stop and ask our anger a few questions, we might do a lot better in our relationships.

First off, we might realize that most anger isn’t unhealthy. It’s just a signpost that there’s been a real or perceived violation. In that sense, anger can be a real gift. If we pay attention to it, it will help us notice that something real is happening and that we need to pay attention to it. Of course, too often we just give vent to it and we miss out on the benefits.

But it’s not just that we give vent to it. This is completely anecdotal, but certainly more than half of all angry outbursts are not directed at the proper person. You’re mad at God so you blame Moses; you kick the dog because you had a bad day at work; you criticize his cooking (it was lukewarm, but that didn’t justify the intensity of your critique!) because you feel insecure about yourself.

Here’s another classic insight from scripture - and notice who is making a mess of their lives and who gets the blame for it: A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord. - Proverbs 19:3

So are you angry at God? Or is it really at yourself? Or are you mad about racism in America? Or maybe just that your boss yelled at you?

The answer may not even matter, but taking time to ask the question could be a key step on your spiritual journey.