Misplaced Anger

Read Proverbs 19

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.

Proverbs 19:3

Many people thumb their noses at God and his laws for living. They refuse to be hemmed in by his “restrictive” commands. Instead they decide to have sex before marriage, commit adultery, gamble, drink heavily, use drugs, lie, cheat, and steal. Then come the consequences from those actions—unplanned pregnancy and a total change in life plans, a ruined marriage and family, loss of jobs and finances, even jail. Though they have done all these things against God’s laws, they get mad at God for their awful situation. What’s wrong with this picture?

Certainly there are many times when people suffer for no known reason—for example, look at Job. However, if we are honest with ourselves, our suffering is usually caused by our own foolishness. God can still bring good out of it, but he will not erase the consequences. When we stop being angry at God, we can learn the lessons he has for us.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Anger at God is self-destructive.

Today, Lord, may I accept the consequences for my own actions, trusting that you can still work miracles in my life.