How to Pray When You’re Angry at God

This is a subject most Christian content avoids. It shouldn’t. Anger at God is real, common, and — according to scripture — something you can bring directly to Him. Some of the most significant encounters with God in the Bible began with someone furious at Him. If you’re angry at God right now, this is for you. — Is It Okay to Be Angry at God? The Psalms — which are the official prayer book of the Bible — are full of prayers that express anger, accusation, and confusion toward God. Psalm 13:1 opens: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Jeremiah 20:7 has the prophet saying: “You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived.” Job argued with God for most of his book. God’s response at the end wasn’t to rebuke Job for his anger — it was to rebuke the friends who gave tidy theological answers instead of sitting in the mess. Anger at God, expressed honestly to Him, is prayer. Burying that anger while performing cheerful faith is not. — What to Do With Anger at God Don’t pretend it isn’t there. God already knows. Performing peace you don’t feel doesn’t honor Him — it just keeps you from a real conversation. Bring it directly. The Psalms model this. Don’t pray around your anger. Pray the anger — what happened, how it feels, what you need to say. Expect the conversation to be one-sided, at first. You may not get an immediate response. That’s normal. God is not obligated to explain Himself on your timeline, but He hears. Stay in relationship. The difference between anger-that-damages-faith and anger-that-deepens-it is whether you leave or stay. You can be furious with God and still show up. Many of the most faithful people in history did exactly that. — Prayers for When You’re Angry at God When Something Terrible Happened God, I don’t understand this. I don’t understand why You allowed it. I feel like You should have stopped it and You didn’t. I’m furious and I’m hurt and I don’t know how to be near You right now. But I’m here. I’m talking to You because I don’t know who else to talk to. I need You to be big enough for this. Show me You are. Amen. — When a Prayer Wasn’t Answered the Way You Needed Lord, I asked for this. I believed. I kept asking. And the answer was no — or silence — or something I didn’t want. I’m struggling to accept it. I know You’re good in theory. Right now it doesn’t feel that way. Help my unbelief. Give me something to hold onto that isn’t just platitudes. I need more than “trust Me” — I need to feel like You’re worth trusting. Amen. — When Life Feels Unfair God, I look at my life and the lives of others and I can’t make it add up. People who’ve done nothing wrong are suffering.