How have we gotten to the point where we can dismiss the God of the universe simply because we are mad? How have people, whose responsibility it is to train, teach, and raise Christians, allowed this notion that we can judge God? Why are we so quick to blame God for things that are on creation, not the Creator?
I don’t know, but there are a few of things that I think every Christian needs to know if they want a personal relationship with the maker of all things.
First, there is a difference between voicing your emotional frustration and responding so negatively that we “fall away” from God. The former we find all over the Bible, from David’s Psalms to Lamentations to Jesus the night before he was crucified. For the most part, there seems to be some sort of resolution at the end, some proclamation that God is good and God is actually for us and struggling with us along the way. Examples of the latter are also all over Holy Scripture. We only need to think of the judges, the exiles or Solomon to see cases where the people of God fall away. But again, God doesn’t let go and continually calls them back. How can you be angry with a God who doesn’t abandon people? It is perfectly healthy to voice frustrations, but we shouldn’t forget what God has done and continues to do.
Second, we are made in Triune God’s image. Most of us get caught up on the Triune bit, but the simplest truth is God is inherently communal and relational. And God continues to express this by partnerships. God partners with Creation calling for trees and animals to reproduce and fill creation. God partners with Israel and wanders with them through the desert. God partners with stories which is why Jews retell how God passed over Egypt at the Passover, and continually reminds them that they were slaves and are now liberated. And God partners with us as people who are called to create things, just like the Creator. This means we can create things like art and cars and peace. But it also means we can create havoc, chaos and bombs. Because we have the potential to do such good and such evil, and we have the freedom to deviate from what God asks of us, we have to take more responsibility for our actions (but not in the political, individualistic, “pull yourself by your bootstraps” sense; rather in a first century, Palestinian, community-oriented sense).
Third, God is just funny. How can you really be mad at a God who makes you laugh? From Adam on, the Bible is filled with moments where humanity tries to blames God for something. If we read these passages carefully, we are often left with a sense of “really?”—“Are you are really going to blame God because you ate the a piece of fruit, like you didn’t know what that fruit was?” or “Are you really going to blame God because you lied about being married to Sarah even though God told you not to, cause you know better than God. I know your wife is hot, but really?” or “Are you really mad at God because bitter water came out of the rock you hit, even though God told you to ask for the water? Really Moses? Does violence solve everything?” Or how about all the times Jesus straight up mocks people? Like when Jesus says, “Who’s dumb enough to send 10,000 solders to fight 20,000 solders? *cough* Governor of Galilee.” Or when Jesus is talking to bunch of Pharisees and they ask him about taxes. Jesus says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesars and give to God what is God’s.” Then he picks up a fish, opens its mouth, pulls out a coin worth more than the taxes needed and hands it to them. POW! ZING!
All I’m saying is that we need a little perspective. How can we really get mad at a God that has made us, is loyal to us, gives us so much and makes us laugh?
