"...I will wait till my renewal should come" (Job 14:14).
It is a normal initial human reaction to be angry at God after a traumatic event (to do do something foolish because of it though or to stay that way isn't), and I would doubt one's humanity if he had no reaction. We want to avoid internalized anger through which can lead to psychiatric problems or of exploding in a fit of anger. But we all need to see the perspective of others who have been there and done that; for instance, my own father killed himself when I was a young man of 21. I commend any public acknowledgment or confession to get any inner feelings out there to deal with and not have a show of piety or of a Pollyanna Christianity that pretends everything is okay--this cannot last--Jesus sees through the veneer; sooner or later we all have to face the music.
No trial comes into our life that isn't "Father-filtered" if you will--God knows we will overcome and learn from the experience. It is said that God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. We should never pray for an easy problem-free life because we will become weak people--Jesus didn't even exempt himself from suffering. From my own experience, I am glad and grateful for what I have gone through and survived, though I had a tendency to get very bitter after my wife of 10 years divorced me and left me homeless. I am a survivor! We either become bitter or better it is well said (the same sun hardens the clay and melts butter), and I confess that I was not without bitterness or anger at first--God won however and I now praise God for His wisdom (indeed all things do work together for good).
I asked God why I had to go through all the problems I had in subsequent years which seemed far more than my brothers (from my point of view it seemed like their lives were smooth sailing, now I realize their trials were different), I kept saying to myself: "Why me, Lord?" But God spoke to me in the Bible: "My grace is sufficient for thee." These problems were actually compliments, that in the end I would benefit and give glory to God. God has made it up to me and blessed me more than I had dreamt of as He promises in Joel 2:25. I didn't want to be another "victim of circumstance" as so many people are and don't rise above the occasion. Horace Mann said that difficulties show what men are. It is not what happens to us but in us, that counts; our experience is not as much as what happens to us but what we do with that experience, or how we respond (not react).
We eventually learn to cope and develop therapeutic skill and by this wisdom, we are able to pass it on to others (2 Cor. 1:4 says God is a God of comfort so that we can comfort others). It's not abnormal to get angry or depressed, as long as we are in control and know that there is a time to put it to rest and go on with our marching orders. Perhaps this even is our ministry and we are called to do something proactive to prevent it from repeating. It is easy to say God was speaking to them, but He is also speaking to us and we should heed what He is saying. Soli Deo Gloria!
It is a normal initial human reaction to be angry at God after a traumatic event (to do do something foolish because of it though or to stay that way isn't), and I would doubt one's humanity if he had no reaction. We want to avoid internalized anger through which can lead to psychiatric problems or of exploding in a fit of anger. But we all need to see the perspective of others who have been there and done that; for instance, my own father killed himself when I was a young man of 21. I commend any public acknowledgment or confession to get any inner feelings out there to deal with and not have a show of piety or of a Pollyanna Christianity that pretends everything is okay--this cannot last--Jesus sees through the veneer; sooner or later we all have to face the music.
No trial comes into our life that isn't "Father-filtered" if you will--God knows we will overcome and learn from the experience. It is said that God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. We should never pray for an easy problem-free life because we will become weak people--Jesus didn't even exempt himself from suffering. From my own experience, I am glad and grateful for what I have gone through and survived, though I had a tendency to get very bitter after my wife of 10 years divorced me and left me homeless. I am a survivor! We either become bitter or better it is well said (the same sun hardens the clay and melts butter), and I confess that I was not without bitterness or anger at first--God won however and I now praise God for His wisdom (indeed all things do work together for good).
I asked God why I had to go through all the problems I had in subsequent years which seemed far more than my brothers (from my point of view it seemed like their lives were smooth sailing, now I realize their trials were different), I kept saying to myself: "Why me, Lord?" But God spoke to me in the Bible: "My grace is sufficient for thee." These problems were actually compliments, that in the end I would benefit and give glory to God. God has made it up to me and blessed me more than I had dreamt of as He promises in Joel 2:25. I didn't want to be another "victim of circumstance" as so many people are and don't rise above the occasion. Horace Mann said that difficulties show what men are. It is not what happens to us but in us, that counts; our experience is not as much as what happens to us but what we do with that experience, or how we respond (not react).
We eventually learn to cope and develop therapeutic skill and by this wisdom, we are able to pass it on to others (2 Cor. 1:4 says God is a God of comfort so that we can comfort others). It's not abnormal to get angry or depressed, as long as we are in control and know that there is a time to put it to rest and go on with our marching orders. Perhaps this even is our ministry and we are called to do something proactive to prevent it from repeating. It is easy to say God was speaking to them, but He is also speaking to us and we should heed what He is saying. Soli Deo Gloria!