Bitterness Toward God

Why did this happen to me? Why did God do this to me? Why me? Many times we may be filled with very strong emotions that God has somehow caused hardship in our lives. Whether we have an active relationship with God, or have never known this before, this is felt quite personally toward God. Sadly, for those who do not believe at all, if they have any one feeling about God it is this bitter animosity. Many also feel that if God has not outright chosen us for harm, He certainly does not really care and is quite removed from what we suffer from.
This bitterness can be very damaging to one's spirit. Sometimes it comes from very real pain within ourselves. However, in this kind of mindset, it can be seen that in many cases it is the results of our own lack of wisdom, our weakness, bad choices, and the fault of chosen sin. We compound this by reversing the roles and ourselves sitting in judgment of God. We accuse, evaluate, and find fault – we who are dust point fingers at the Sovereign God of glory.
This is a heavy observation. It is really in us all to some degree or another. The human heart by itself has never wanted repentance or discipline. Instead we “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (Isaiah 22:13b) and every way of a man is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 21:2b).
How many of us have reached out in love and concern to a friend, a family member, or a spouse, to instead be rejected? To be ignored, or even actively pushed away? It grieves us deeply. Imagine the heart of grief in God, who offers Himself in pure love to us. We rob ourselves of this precious gift by such bitter attitudes. The outstretched arms of Christ are there to bring us in. Yet, we turn away. We push those hands away.
I have often heard people blame God as the cause of their suffering, bitter that there is no hope to be had in their life. God is not the cause, He is the very hope we will find nowhere else. God is not the problem; He is the only one who cares for us with no agenda, unconditionally, where we are right now. We make a mistake when we credit God with the attributes of mankind, of those people in our lives who have harmed us, as if He reacts or causes situations as we ourselves would. We can not bring a Holy God down to our own level, both in moral terms and in terms of pure love. He is not among those who would reject us, throw us away, or vindictively hurt us and cause us pain. He does not act as we do to each other. He is the very hope for those deeply hurting, in pure holiness and compassion.
The Bible describes the reality of Jesus Christ as the gift of this awesome love, and that His own Son, very God and very Man, willingly gave Himself for us. Yes, gave. Jesus’ life was not taken, but given. The world sees Jesus as having been killed on a cross, yet He Himself said He was doing so quite willingly in God’s provision to bridge the gap over sin – because He loves us that much. What love!
How tragically we turn away from the only Hope there really is. And even still, He loves us.
“Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:9-11.