My wife Susan was telling me this week that she had recently encountered a number of people who had distanced themselves from the church and from God because they were angry with Him. Each of these were angry because something didn’t happen that they thought God should make happen or because something did happen that they believed a loving God should have prevented. Either way, they were angry because their expectations about God had not been met.

I think many of us, as believers, have been in that place at one time or another. Perhaps, we weren’t angry but we were certainly disappointed with God and left wondering if God even hears our prayers or doesn’t always keep his promises. I think enough people struggle with this human experience that I want to speak to it in more detail than I have previously.

Taking offense at God puts us in a very spiritually vulnerable situation. When we are offended with God we may fall into distrust and unbelief and stop praying, serving, fellowshipping with other believers and, ultimately, come into agreement with Satan about the character of God. That scenario is what caused Adam and Eve to be removed from the Garden of Eden and what caused an entire generation of Hebrews to wander in the wilderness for forty years, never to enter the promised land. Because of that, I will do this in a series of several blogs rather than just trying to speak to it briefly in only one.

In general, there are several things that may cause us to be mad at God or take up an offense against him when God has not fulfilled our desires or met our expectations. I will list eight of those here.
1. We may fail to recognize that God will not respond to a prayer that is asking Him to violate his righteousness or that would be a violation of his commands

2. We may fail to recognize that many of God’s promises are conditional and, perhaps, we have not yet met those conditions.

3. We may have preconceptions about how God should answer our prayers and so miss out on the answer he does send.

4. We may be unaware that Satan has obtained some legal right to oppose God’s answer to our prayers and will continue to oppose the answer until the legal right has been removed.

5. We may fail to understand the nature of free will in this world, and so are angry at God when someone has exercised their free will and hurt us.

6. We may fail to recognize that our own bad decisions are are keeping us from receiving what we are asking for.

7. We may not understand, that faith must still hold that God is good and righteous in all he does, even though we don’t understand why something happened or did not happen as we desired.

8. We may fail to recognize, that as a good father, God may say “No” to things that would eventually hurt us, even though we think it is the very thing that would make our life worth living.

Let me begin with reason Number One.

I have been in full-time ministry for a number of years and very little surprises me. However, on occasion, I have been surprised by the prayers that some believers have offered up and then been upset with God that he did not answer. I remember a very mature, talented Christian woman who was angry with God because he would not answer the prayer she was offering up night after night. This single woman came to me to confess her anger at God.

She told me that, in the past, God had answered her prayers quickly and clearly, but now he seemed to be ignoring her. She felt betrayed by his “indifference to her pleas.” I asked her what she was asking God to do. She explained that she had been having an affair with a married man who had a wife and three young children. She had been asking God to prompt this man to divorce his wife, leave his children, and marry her. She had been praying that for months but had seen no change in her “lover’s” hesitancy to leave his family for her and so was angry that God had not come through for her.

This was a woman who had grown up in the church and even taught Bible classes for her congregation. I asked her why she thought God should answer that prayer. Who answer was simple. “God wants me to be happy and that’s what would make me happy!” It never occurred to her that she was asking God to participate in her sin and compound the sin by prompting him to abandon his wife and children and violate the covenant oaths he had made when he married the woman. I was amazed that she had ever thought God would aide her in a clear violation of his will and his values…but she was angry that he had not come through for her. Another time, I had a single Christian man tell me that he was praying for God to help him “score” with the woman he was taking out that night. When I asked why he thought God might answer that prayer, he simply answered that he loved sex and he thought God would want to satisfy his “God-given” desires.

These are extreme examples but it is possible for believers to assume that God simply exists to make sure we receive what we believe will make us happy or satisfy some desire. There are, of course, scriptures that tell us whatever we ask for with faith, will be given. Mark tells us. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mk.11:24). Jesus declared, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (Jn. 14:13-14).These promises may seem like blank checks but they are not.

The problem is that we must take all scriptures about answered prayer together without isolating one fromm the others. A key scripture for understanding prayer is, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (I Jn. 5:14). The psalmist also declared, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Ps. 66:18).

One essential condition for answered prayer is that we ask things that are according to or consistent with God’s will. If we are asking God to enable us in a sin we cherish in our heart, he will not respond. He will not respond because, as a responsible parent, he will not reinforce behavior that puts our soul in jeopardy. Paul tells is in his letter to the Corinthians that “love always protects” (1 For. 13:7). Therefore, God will not participate in sin…not just because he is holy, but also because he loves us. When we pray, we need to be sure that what we are asking for is not contrary to the will and ways of God. Some are mad at God, because he didn’t give them what they wanted, even thought it was a prayer birthed out of sinful desires. Sometimes we need to repent rather than being mad at God. God wants to bless us, but sin robs us of blessings. We should pray for things that God desires for us, rather than what our flesh desires.

More on this next week.

If you are interested in approaches to natural health and healing, you will frequently come across articles on the need to detox the body. The idea is to use certain foods or formulas to remove toxins, heavy metals, etc. from the body. As we log significant years or miles on our bodies, we pick up toxins from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and from the liquids we drink. Those toxins keep our bodies and our immune systems from working according to design and can eventually lead to serious health issues.

It is possible that mental toxins we pick up from our environment can have even more serious effects. A number of medical research findings suggest that seventy to eighty percent of all physical illnesses are related to stress, worry, and negative thinking. On tip of that, depression, anxiety, and suicidal risks are at all time highs in our culture. These issues are also related to our spiritual health.

The apostle Paul had an antidote for these mental. emotional and spiritual toxins that existed even in his lifetime. He wrote, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Phil.4:8)

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul encourages us to evaluate and choose what we think about, what we ponder, and what we entertain on the big screen of our imagination.  In other words, be intentional about everything…especially your thought life. Everything we think about, focus on, or entertain in our minds leaves an impression on our neural pathways and on our soul. The theological term for intentional or prolonged thinking about an issue, a principle, or an experience is meditation or contemplation. Scripture mentions that mental/spiritual process frequently. That is a rarely used term in American culture. Maybe we relate it to eastern religions and yoga exercises, which are definitely not what I am talking about. It is, however, a very biblical concept. When Christians mediate, they are focused on the word of God and are not just emptying their minds so that any spirit in the neighborhood can enter. Christians invite only the Holy Spirit. 

Speaking of Isaac, the son of Abraham, we are told, “He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching” (Gen.24:63). Isaac had intentionally set time aside in the evening to meditate, to think about things, to mentally process his day and his relationships. After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua and commanded him, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Jos.1:8). David prayed, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Ps.19:44; See also Ps.1:2, 48:9, 63:6, 77:12, 119:5, 143:5)

Meditation is a way to intentionally process experiences, expand our understanding of people and events, reinforce positive thoughts, internalize biblical truths, establish God-directed goals, and deepen kingdom values in our heart and mind. For the believer, it is a time set aside to hear the Holy Spirit lead us into truth and shape our life and character. It is also a great way to detox mentally and spiritually, after you have encountered hurtful people and slogged through a sin-soaked culture all day. What you think about most often, what you reflect on frequently, what you consider and process in your mind will rule the day in your heart.

The psalmists mention several things about which they frequently meditated: God’s creation, God’s wonderful and miraculous acts, their personal history with God – his blessings and faithfulness, the Word of God, and God himself. The apostle Paul would add, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). The verb tense in that passage directs us to think about those things over and over rather than once in a while. Paul also insists that we “take every though captive” and make it obedient to Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).

He also tells us, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col.3:1-2). The writer of Hebrews layers on another dimension. “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Heb.3:1). There may be more, but that is plenty to reflect on. Again, meditation is simply the act of intentionally thinking about, chewing on, reflecting, studying, talking about, praying about, etc. certain things you want to understand and deposit in your heart.

For us it is a dialogue with the Spirit, asking him to give us understanding, insight, revelation, and reinforcement of his truths and values in our life. In scripture, meditation seems to occur most often in the evening or during the “watches of the night.”   I tend to believe that the last things we focus on before falling asleep get the attention of our subconscious which continues to process those things during the night. If it is negative and disturbing news, we will process that. If it is pornography, that will roll around the subconscious in our sleep reinforcing its presence. If it is a scary movie, fear will exert itself in our minds.

However, when we invite the Holy Spirit to be involved in our sleep, we may receive truth and peace we have never recognized before. “For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds” (Job. 33:14-15). Listening to your audio Bible while you sleep can keep the enemy at bay.

Spending time in the evening reflecting on God, his truth, the goodness of Christ, his Word, etc. is clearly a God-given way to detox spiritually from all the contaminates we have encountered during the day. Satan spends the day trying to pull us away from the truth of God, twisting it, and enticing us to agree with him rather than the Father. Meditation helps to realign our thoughts and feelings with the Lord and in doing so takes away places where the enemy is searching for a foothold. So much around us that we hear, see, and read – even unintentionally – defiles the temple of the Holy Spirit. An evening scrub with meditation will help to keep that temple a place where the Spirit can rest without offense. Let me also say, to meditate, we should take small chunks of scripture to reflect on rather than speed reading ten chapters. Even fifteen minutes with the Lord just before sleep can pay big dividends. 

As I examine the life of Jesus, everything seems so intentional. I suffer from being right-brained. Structure and concrete goals are not my style. Intentionality gives way to random responses to things I encounter during the day. I want to “get in the mood” before doing anything introspective and the mood is elusive. I’m working on consistent meditation. Writing this blog is a form of that, but I want to lay in a godly habit of detoxing at the end of the day and inviting the Spirit to rule over my dreams and even the thoughts churned up by my subconscious. Meditation is one of God’s most powerful divine weapons (2 Cor.10:4) and can make a huge difference as we follow Him. Perhaps, you’ll join me. 

If you grew up in church, you probably know the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These three young Hebrew men were deported from Judea to Babylon after an invasion by King Nebuchadnezzar, and pressed into his service. Part of the Babylonian strategy of conquest was to take the young nobles, the best and the brightest, from a nation that had just been conquered and simply absorb them into Babylonian culture through education and training. They were actually given positions of significance in Babylon in an attempt to make them willing “citizens” rather than insurgents.

In Daniel 3, we are told that Nebuchadnezzar made a huge image of gold and required every person in Babylon to worship the statue at certain times. Of course, Jews who believed in only one God could not do so with good conscience and so the three young men refused to worship. They were reported and brought before the king who threatened to burn them alive in a furnace if they would not worship. Their response was, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” 

You know the rest of the story. Nebuchadnezzar was infuriated that these young Jews would dare to defy him. In a rage, he had the furnace stroked seven times hotter than normal and they were, indeed, cast into the furnace. However, Nebuchadnezzar saw them strolling around in the fire, unconcerned and unharmed, with a fourth party that was described as looking like “a son of the gods.” The astonished king called them out of the furnace. They had not been touched by the fire and even the smell of burning wood was not on their clothing. The king recognized that an angel had protected them from him, and was so amazed that he gave each of them promotions in his government and prohibited anyone in his kingdom from saying anything against their God.

There are dramatic moments like this throughout scripture in which men and women stood in faith against overwhelming odds. The obvious lesson is that, in many cases, the expression of faith will put us in a position that, if God doesn’t show up, we are toast. Think about it. Most of us pray for lives that are so ordered that we are never at risk, but where there is no risk, there is little opportunity to grow in our faith. If we do walk in faith, we will have moments when we will have to choose to trust God for good outcomes.

There are amazing moments like the one above recorded throughout scripture where faith clearly placed men and women in life-threatening situations. If God didn’t come through, they would be lost, destroyed, or cast out. What if it hadn’t rained after Noah spent years building an ark? What if God didn’t show up for Moses after he returned to Egypt where he had been a wanted man for forty years? What if fire had not come down on Mt. Carmel in response to Elijah’s prayer as he stated against the prophets of Baal?

Again, what we learn from a quick overview of scripture is that an act of faith nearly always makes us vulnerable to harm or loss. We also need to recognize that It’s not always in big dramatic moments like the ones just listed. The “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7 is full of directives that have the potential to place us in harm’s way on a daily basis. If we love our enemy and turn the other cheek, will our enemy not see that as weakness and take advantage of us or bully us all the more? If we forgive those who have betrayed us, won’t we simply be reinforcing their bad behavior because they experience no real consequence from us? If we lend to others without demanding that they return what they borrowed, won’t we end up with an empty bank account or a vacant garage? If we speak well of others while they are speaking evil of us at the office, will we not be damaged? Won’t they ruin our reputation and undermine our position, even though we are innocent? What if we step out of a love relationship that is causing us to compromise our faith? Will there be another one who loves us or will we inevitably face a life alone?

Even the basic teachings of Jesus, put us at risk if we truly follow what he says. The only way to follow these commands is to believe that God will bless us, uphold us, and provide for us when we are attacked or taken advantage of because of our obedience. That simple expectation takes faith. Maybe we are not facing a fiery furnace, but we can face hurt, humiliation, and loss on many levels. To follow Jesus, often means that we can’t act in ways to protect ourselves but will have to make ourselves vulnerable while trusting God to protect us, reimburse us, vindicate us, and so forth…and on his timeline. Even tithing when inflation is rampant and we worry about our budgets takes faith. To give to the Lord can make us feel financially at risk. What will we choose?

Sometimes we are disobedient out of our flesh’s propensity for rebellion and stubbornness. But more often, I think we are disobedient out of fear that God will not be there for us if we put ourselves in a risky position through our obedience. Sure, we would like to think we would have the courage and faith of Elijah or Moses or David running toward Goliath, if the moment arose. But it is in the smaller moments of loving an enemy or forgiving your betrayer or refusing to speak badly of the one who is slandering you at work, that we develop the faith to tackle our giants.

The lesson is that every time we feel afraid, vulnerable, or exposed, we probably have a chance to step out in faith to see what God will do in response to our submission. It is in those moments that we learn that God is our rock, our deliverer, our provision, and our vindication. I believe the time may be coming soon when we will need more faith than we ever imagined, as the world becomes more and more hostile toward followers of Jesus. We will feel more and more pressure to compromise or to deny the truth of scripture in order to maintain our friendships, jobs, or even family connections. Perhaps, I need to begin to choose vulnerability over self-protection now, in order to prepare for a moment when I cannot protect myself by any means, but will totally have to trust the Lord if I am not going to deny the faith.

The good news is that the same God who parted the Red Sea for Moses, who gave Elijah victory over 800 prophets of Baal, who guided the stone from David’s sling, and who delivered Daniel from the lion’s den is the same God who watches over you. Let’s begin to choose vulnerability and risk in expressing our faith in the little things now, so that when we face our giants in the days ahead, we can remember, like David, all the times that God delivered us from lesser risks and believe that he will be is there for us, when much more is on the line.

Naaman is one of the most intriguing stories in the Old Testament. We are told in 2 Kings 5 that Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. Aram was an enemy of Israel who raided Israel from time to time. One of the interesting statements in this texts is, “He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier but he had leprosy.”

First of all, it is interesting that God gave this man victories. We may assume that some of those were against Israel. Many of us think that God only worked through men and women of Israel, but there are several references in the Old Testament where God used gentiles and foreign kings for his purposes. At times he used them to discipline Israel, after Israel turned its back on God and worshipped idols.

In this story, we are told that he had taken a young girl from Israel in one of his raids and that she had become a household slave. She apparently was treated well because she had concern for Naaman and his condition. She told her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy!” Naaman’s wife apparently told him about the prophet and Naaman, perhaps out of desperation, told his king about the possibility of his leprosy being healed. The king blessed his venture and so Naaman set out to visit Elisha.

Being a great man, he took with him a significant amount of treasure with which to buy his healing. According to the text, he took 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of expensive clothing. At first glance, we might assume that he was going to honor the prophet with all of this, but perhaps, it was to display what a great man he was and to impress the prophet. In his world, great men only did favors for other great men, so he wanted to make a statement that he was certainly worthy of this healing he was seeking.

The text continues to say this about Naaman’s arrival. “So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’ But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage” (2 Kings 5:9-12).

I’m sure his arrival was impressive with his horses and chariots with him and his men dressed in their most impressive uniforms. Clearly, he anticipated that the great prophet would come out to meet him and acknowledge his name and fame and treat him with great respect and a touch of awe. Instead, he only sent out his servant. Even by our standards that would be rude, but in the light of mid-eastern hospitality in that day, it was an insult. You only sent servants to people you felt were beneath you.

On top of that, the servant told him to go dip in the Jordan River seven times, which was often muddy and probably smelled. And why seven times? What was the sense in that? Why not once? We are told that his response was rage. He had anticipated a grand moment when an impressive prophet would come to him, call on the namer of his God, the clouds would part, the sun would shine, and the prophet would wave his hand over the leprous spot and he would be healed. It did not happen that way, although healing was still offered to him. I take two lessons from this for us.

First of all, there are times when we have preconceptions about how God will answer our prayers that set us up for failure. We had a Healing and Prophetic Conference a week ago at our church. Clearly, many came hoping to be healed at the conference. As our speaker asked who had received healing after our healing prayers, many raised their hands. Not all, however, received healing in the moment. I’m confident that some of that number simply gave up on God’s supernatural healing because they had not experienced healing that evening.

Many came hoping to experience God’s healing in a dramatic and undeniable way. When that didn’t happen for them they went away disappointed and discouraged. However, much of God’s healing is not instantaneous, but is a process that bears healing in due time…if we do not give up believing. Our preconceptions, like Naaman can cause us to miss what God is actually willing to do.

I was a singles minister for a number of years, so I heard the bitter laments of many singles who wanted to be married but had not yet found the “right” person. Many single women told me that they were crying out for a good husband, but God was not answering their prayers! They felt cheated. However, after further discussion, they had already defined what a “good husband” looked like…tall, handsome, athletic, with a great job, a great sense of humor, and very spiritual.” Upon further discussion, I would also discover that some very fine men had asked them out, but they had not met the woman’s criteria and so she never gave them a chance. These women were asking for a good car but were imagining a Porche. God was sending them a more reliable Ford, but a Ford was not what they had in mind. So they rejected the answer to prayer for a good man and stayed single…and bitter.

Sometimes we miss an answer to prayer because we have decided on what that answer should look like and we are not willing to consider or receive the answer in any other form.

Secondly, God does not like to reinforce pride and arrogance. Naaman came to Elisha believing he would be healed because of his rank and reputation. However, only a servant came to meet him and then directed him to the Jordan. His pride almost cost him his healing. God responds to the humble, not the arrogant. If we feel like God owes us anything, we will probably not receive it. Most of the things we pray for should be seen as gifts of God’s grace, not what he owes us because we have done this or that or because we tithe or because we shared our faith once. If we try to persuade God that we are worthy of his attention and favor, we may not get very far. If we pray for something on the basis of his goodness, his love, and his purposes for our life, we will likely see those prayers answered.

Fortunately, Naaman’s servant had a good word for him. In essence, he said, “Hey, if he had asked you to go do something great – like go slay the dragon – would you not have done so? But he asked you to do something simple, so what have you got to lose? You have leprosy you know!” Naaman then humbled himself and went to the Jordan. When he had dipped himself seven times he was healed. There was no healing power in the Jordan. But there was healing power released from heaven to someone who humbled himself before God and did it God’s way. As we pray and believe, we may want to remember Naaman and simply be humbled and open to how God will answer our prayers because he loves us and how he answers our prayers is an expression of that love.