When A Man Is Angry At God

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."
Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him into prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.  
. . .  In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.   2 Chronicles 16:7-13
The Bible makes a rather arresting statement in Proverbs 19:3, "A person's own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD." Our choices, actions, and decisions have consequences. Many times, the ungodly choices we make come back to us with rather destructive outcomes. Scripture reminds us that there is a way that seems right to a person but the end of it is death (Proverbs 16:25).

Since the days of Adam and Eve, humans have been on a constant quest to seek independence from God. We are continually striving with God to leave us alone. At the least opportunity, we want to set ourselves on our own thrones and reject God from our lives. This is particularly the case when we get to the point in life when we really feel that we can depend on our own wisdom and strength rather than God. We surmise that our own strength can see us through our situations. 

That was the case with King Asa. He relied on God at the beginning of his reign but later turned his back on God when he felt he was strong and wise enough to make his own decisions independently of the Almighty. Needless to say, God pointed out the foolishness of his choices and withdrew His peace and protection. Asa was now to be faced with wars without God. God had his prophet deliver that message to Asa.

In his anger, Asa did a number of unthinkable things:
First, he was so angry with God that he put the prophet of God in prison. Second, he brutally oppressed some of the people. Third, he refused to humble himself, repent and ask God for healing when he got severely ill. He would rather depend solely on physicians than the Almighty Healer. As a result, he died from his illness.

The Bible makes it clear that God is ever ready to forgive our sins and restore us when we humble ourselves and repent. There are times when our pride causes us to be angry at God because we refuse to acknowledge that our own folly has led to our ruin. The result of such anger is what was played out in the life of Asa: First, we attack innocent people just like Asa attacked the prophet and brutally oppressed some of the people. Second, filled with pride, we refuse to repent and ask God for help even when we are suffering. We would rather die in suffering than be seen to be humbling ourselves. Asa died in his pride.

Are you angry at God? Have you examined your situation in the light of His expectations and Sovereignty? Take time to reflect on things. God is love and there is absolutely no darkness in Him at all. Allow Him to help you. He is very kind, merciful and gracious. Don't live in anger.





Prayer: Father, please help me to deal with my situation in light of your love, mercy, and goodness. I confess that wrong choices can lead to my ruin. Help me not to live in anger against you. Please give me the grace to be cognizant of that at all times. Amen.