Frustration with God, His ways and His dealings with us is one of the major stumbling blocks for all Christians. There are few Christians who have not been fuming with frustration at the Lord for one reason or another at some point during their walk with Him.
First of all, as always, it is good to look at the Bible characters who suffered from this frustration and how they dealt with it. The first person who comes to mind is Abraham, the great patriarch who, at seventy-five years old, in simple obedience to God, rose up with all his family, servants, flocks and herds, and left his home and his country to journey he knew not where (Genesis 12). All he had was God’s promise of great blessing in return for his obedience and faith, and as a result he became the father of the Hebrew nation.
The most significant part of God’s blessing to Abraham was the promise of a son, as his wife Sarah had been barren (Genesis 15:4). To a man of his day this was a tremendous blight on his life and to his wife a disgrace, so that far beyond any promises of riches and victory over his enemies, this was the most momentous and welcome promise of all.
However, Abraham was human with human weaknesses, and the faith of even this great man of God faltered at times. The years went by and he had just celebrated his eighty-fifth birthday. Sarah herself was seventy-five and well beyond the age of child bearing, so it is hardly surprising that Abraham’s faith in the promise of a son began to waver. His frustration at waiting for the fulfillment of God's promise must have been boundless, so when Sarah, herself also eaten up with the same frustration, suggested to her husband that he take matters into his own hands and produce a son from her maid, Hagar, he listened (Genesis 16:3). As a result Ishmael was born, and we have only to read on from this point to see the enmity and chaos that resulted after the God of the impossible finally caused Sarah to become pregnant and Isaac, the true son of the promise, was born (Genesis 2:1-3).
Another whose story is well known is Jonah, a man who knew only too well what it was to be frustrated with the Lord. This was a man who also heard from God, but didn’t like what he heard (Jonah 1:1-3a). God told him he was to go and warn the heathen people of the great city of Nineveh that if they didn’t change their ways He would destroy them, but that His love and forgiveness awaited them if they repented. Jonah, loathing the idea that the God of the Hebrews could possibly care about this godless and violent people, and after doing all he could to get out of his appointed task, finally obeyed God. He proclaimed God’s message to the Ninevites, convinced that they would not listen and he would have the satisfaction of seeing them slaughtered by a vengeful God. Not only did they thwart his hopes by responding with total repentance (Jonah 3:5-10), but Jonah wasn’t even allowed to keep the leafy gourd that had grown up and sheltered him so comfortably from the blazing sun during the day (Jonah 4:7). Jonah’s seething fury of frustration with God now knew no bounds.
Frustration is simply an emotion which is part of our sinful human nature. As imperfect creatures, our natural tendency is to rebel against God, become angry, disappointed, and frustrated with Him. In Abraham’s case, frustration with the promise that didn’t appear had wearied him to death, so that he weakly gave in to Sarah’s demand that he have a son by her handmaid. He probably also had in mind that Sarah was well past childbearing age, forgetting that nothing is impossible with God.
In Jonah’s case he wanted to keep the God of the Hebrews for the Hebrews alone, but no one is allowed to limit Almighty God. His response to the frustration against the God who refused to conform to his way of thinking was to rage at Him, and he had to be taught an uncomfortable lesson. If he could have so much grief and pity for himself simply because of his discomfort as a result of the loss of his shady gourd, then did not the God of ALL creation have the right to feel pity for a whole city full of people who were ignorant of His very existence?
When we are frustrated with God, we can react in one of two ways. We can shake our fist at Him and turn away from Him, or we can humble ourselves, admit we don’t know all the circumstances, and trust that He will work all things together for our good and His glory. Nowhere in Scripture is this better illustrated than at the cross. Jesus was hanging between two thieves, both of whom were reviling Him. Matthew 27:38-44 tells us that they both mocked Him, hurled insults at Him, and derided Him for not being able to save Himself and them. One reviled Him out of frustration (Luke 23:39), but the other’s frustration turned to repentance and faith, and he asked Jesus to do what only He could–save him–which He did. That thief joined Him in heaven that very day, while the other man went to his death continuing to rage on in unbelief.
The psalmist tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). If God’s ways are perfect, then we can trust that whatever He does—and whatever He allows—is also perfect. This may not seem possible to us, but our minds are not God’s mind, as He reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9. The Christian experiencing frustration with God will find that a simple prayer of humble submission will give far greater comfort than raging and storming against God which, in reality, has all the futility of an ant shaking his fist at an elephant.
Even though God may allow us to storm and rage at Him out of frustration, we must be very careful not to presume too far upon our heavenly Father’s grace and patience. Yes, He will forgive His children and continue to love them, but eventually we should come to our senses and submit to His plan and will for our lives, even when we don’t understand it. Frustration with God comes from a lack of understanding on our part, not from any lack on God’s part. The sooner we learn that lesson, the less frequently we will find ourselves frustrated with God.
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