No, we didn't get angry at our Living Room group yesterday. We only discussed anger - anger with God in particular.The discussion started with the question, "Do you ever feel angry or frustrated with God for your suffering with mood disorder?" Some people did feel that way and we talked a bit about how such frustration, if we hang on to it for too long, will lead to bitterness and separation from God.
We talked about Job and how he riled against God and asked God to explain why he allowed such terrible things to happen to him. But God answered him "...out of the storm...I will question you, and you shall answer me." Job 38:1-3. In other words, it's not our place to question God; it's the other way around. In Job 38:4 - 41:34 the most beautiful poetry follows with God expressing how awesome he truly is. God does so in a long series of powerful rhetorical questions: "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?...Who marked off its dimensions?..." And in 42:5-6, Job replies, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. (so vivid is the picture God paints) Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
Looking at the Psalms we saw how David was frequently frustrated with God. But in almost all cases, he doesn't stay there. At the end of his lamentations, he turns to expressions of hope and praise. We played a song by Brian Doerksen based on Psalm 13 - a beautifully sensitive prayer that I think touched us all deeply.
Our conclusion? It's often difficult to trust God when we're in the midst of depression. Sometimes the best thing to do is to turn to a Christian friend who we trust, a friend who will have faith for us until we recover.
(A reminder: If you think you might like to set up a Living Room group at your church, I can send you manuals - tools to get you started. email me at info@candidsbymarja.com to order. The manuals are at the printer.)
4 comments:
Hi Marja,
I don't know. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and have surrendered my life to Him, I never experienced the feeling of anger towards God. Don't get me wrong. I do not want to judge others who may feel differently especially if they are in the midst of a severe depression. I had my own shares of trials but I come to Him in the spirit of unworthiness and humility. He is God. He is sovereign over all His creation. He can do as He pleases.
It's nice though that your Living Room group can discuss about anger without necessarily faulting God.
God bless you and your group with all the wisdom, graces and blessings from God's great storehouse of blessings.
You know, I always tell my pastor that there are two steps to depression. There's the moment you dont feel like praying, that you're angry at God and there's the moment you're harming yourself and prayer is inconcievable. It is when we dont feel like praying that we have to call out and say: God, I dont feel like praying but I KNOW that if I do, my moods will stall where they are, and wont go any lower.
I've missed you and I'm sorry I've been away for so long. The explanation is in my blog.
I love you and thank you for your prayers,
Hi Marja,
I'm new at your blog. May I invite you to visit my blog? I'm sure you'll find it refreshing. I already linked up with your blog. Thanks and God bless you more.
Thanks for posting! Is very good.
I go to be with the Greek people, and you?
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