How to Forgive God
Forgiving God can be a tough pill to swallow – especially when life is hard. After all, how could a supposedly loving God allow terrible things happen to innocent people? Thoughts like these may start as a spark, but Satan stokes them into a fire of anger toward God, doubting of God, and finally disbelief and separation from God.
If you’ve ever felt this way, this message will help you find the peace you are looking for. Let’s look at unforgiveness toward God through a true story about a dying old man, who was an acquaintance of my dad and I. The old man was mad at his kids, disgusted at the nursing staff, and had an angry aura around him. Not surprisingly, it quickly became apparent that he was especially mad at God because years earlier, his wife had suffered through a painful death from cancer.
During her cancer, this man had prayed and lamented, “If God is all powerful and loving, why would he allow so much suffering in this world?” and because her pain continued, he threw God out of his life, and made it crystal clear to everyone there was no way he would ever change his mind. He said he would rather go to hell than to be a hypocrite and pray to a God who didn’t listen.
Like most of us who have big, honest, and overwhelming questions about problems in this world, his questions did not have easy answers. But in his case, he preferred no questions, no answers, and a closed mind rather than considering any alternatives. The essence of his anger was that God did not perform up to his standards and expectations, therefore who would ever want to worship that kind of God.
As we left the hospital my dad told me, “That angry man suffers from a case of poor record keeping and a closed mind” as he went on to explain: “Happiness and pain are all part of life but in his score keeping, the man blamed God when his wife suffered and died. But here’s the big question: Did he thank God for all the moments, days, and years of hugs, smiles, and happiness he experienced before that?”
“If we’re honest, it seems most of us are fair weather thankers, but we’re often all-weather blamers. If we look at this like a tally sheet, we’d see the man did a great job of calculating the blame but failed in adding up, or even remembering God’s blessings!”
As I pondered these thoughts my dad added, “It’s funny how people want to first blame God, then get mad at God, and then decide to doubt God. But just like counting our blessings, it’s also important that we doubt our doubts. Always remember, the knife cuts both ways.”
As we hear this story, we ourselves may be struggling with life while questioning or doubting God. These of course are all giant, and overwhelming issues – but today we can indeed do two little things that can help us in a big way.
The first is to write down your doubts, so they are no longer floating around in your head. Write them down and then resolve to keep on watching more videos like this one or decide to continue to pursue answers until you have truly made an honest attempt to answer your own questions. In other words, decide to actively doubt your doubts.
The second is to write out on a sheet of paper – only for you and God to see – all the ways that God has blessed you. Let’s start our list together and you can finish your own list with your own words:
- I can breathe
- I can feel the air going into my lungs when I inhale
- I can hear the rush of wind when I exhale
- I am blessed with fresh water
- I’ve been fed and nourished all my life
Now in your own words, let’s go a deeper and thank God for:
- His grace – not giving you the punishment you deserve
- His mercy – for his taking our punishment himself
- Your sight, hearing, and health
- His love of you
- Your family and all the friends you have had in your life
- Your education, opportunities, and the ability to work
Sometimes the very best antidote to help us shake off negative thinking is to be thankful. And not just thankful to your lucky stars, the force, the universe, a four-leaf clover, or a cool piece of lint. But thankful to our Almighty God.
There is no doubt we all have doubts. Can we ask you to choose one of the articles below that will help you doubt your doubts? They’ll help you think deeper, and we are looking forward to seeing you there!
