Jeremiah 20:7, 8b, 10, 12 - O LORD, You have deceived me, and I was deceived; You are stronger than I, and You have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me .... For the Word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. ... For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my close friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him." ... O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You have I committed my cause.
Some of us grew up with the idea that it's a sin to be angry at God, and if we ever feel anger, we should stifle it and pretend it's not there. Not Jeremiah. It's clear that he's angry with God and he even says God deceived him. Jeremiah is hurt and afraid, and his life is under threat. And so he yells.
And God listens! If you tried that behavior with a false god like Zeus or Baal, you'd be a grease spot in seconds. But not the true God. Jeremiah knows the Lord is true and just and loving, and under all the anger, he trusts Him.
So Jeremiah doesn't lie awake worrying how God will react. No, he leaves the whole mess in God's hands and rests.
So what about us, when we are angry at God—when we shout at Him in an empty house, or scream into our pillows because we've had terrible news and we think God should have prevented it? Will God reject us? Will God turn us away, saying, "Sorry, you've gone too far this time, I don't want you for My child anymore"? No.
God will help. Maybe not exactly the way we want Him to—by curing the cancer, or giving us back the lost job or the broken marriage. But He will hear us and help us. And He will also stay with us and hold us up, so we don't drown in our fear and anger. He will forgive us, have mercy on us, and keep loving us. How do we know? Because of Jesus.
Jesus is God's answer to a terrified, angry world in meltdown. He is God Himself, come close to us—not to hit us, not to harm us, but to rescue us. He pulls us out of our messes, binds up our wounds, and makes us clean. And He does all of this at the cost of His own lifeblood, poured out for us on the cross.
Nothing less than the suffering of God can help the suffering of humankind. Nothing but Jesus' death can give us life. And nothing but His resurrection can restore us as God's children living in His kingdom forever, on the day when He returns again and makes all things new and well. Then "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
WE PRAY: Lord, help me to trust You even when I'm angry, and cry out to You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. When have you been angry at God?
2. How did you deal with it?
3. Do you find it surprising that God has mercy on people even when they're angry at Him? Why or why not?
Today's Bible Readings: Proverbs 27-29 Acts 5:1-21
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