Job 10:1, “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.”
Many people are offended at God. Some admit it openly and others are unaware of it because they are afraid to admit it to themselves. The ones who admit their anger towards God say things like, “If God really loved me, He would have never allowed ‘such and such’ thing to happen to me.” Or, “It’s God fault that this tragedy happened because He could have prevented it, but He didn’t because He doesn’t care about me!”
Those with a hidden offense towards God say things like, “I tried all that ‘faith’ stuff- it just didn’t work for me- bad things still happened. Now I’m not sure if prayer really works like how I was taught.” Or, “I felt like God wasn’t there when I suffered that tragedy, maybe He doesn’t get involved in everyone’s life like He does for others.”
People’s offense towards God may be hidden or revealed, but it still has the same result- faithlessness and despair.
The person suffering from an offense towards God doesn’t fully believe in God’s character and promises anymore. Sadly, because of their hurt they commit a serious sin against God- slander. Slander is saying something about someone that is not true but can damage and stain their reputation (in others words, “lying about someone to others”). When people have an offense towards God they are slandering His reputation. Certainly, God doesn’t need us to promote His power on the earth- He is all-powerful with or without our approval. However, we are commanded to give praise and honor to God because it’s the right thing to do- He is our Creator (Psalm 150).
At the same time, everyone has gone through things in their walk with God that they didn’t fully understand. Even great men of faith like David, Abraham, Joseph, Elijah, Peter, John the Baptist and Paul felt at times like God wasn’t there for them in the way they wanted Him to be. What we can learn from them is that they never let their doubts and fears lead them to stop following God and giving Him the praise He deserved. They chose to still serve God even though they didn’t understand His ways. David said in Psalms 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
No book in the Bible better addresses the sin of offense towards God than the book of Job. Job was a righteous man who was tested by Satan to prove his love and sincere devotion to God (Job 1:8-12). Though the story of Job has an encouraging ending the dialogue between Job and God reveals the deepest pains mankind can ever face with trusting God in life’s troubles.
In today’s passage Job came awfully close to slandering God. He was complaining and pouring out his heart to God, which is acceptable in times of great pain. Job hated even being alive. However, Job didn’t turn his back on God, but rather he became more grounded in his faith. He declared in Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” We can learn from the life of Job that even if we don’t understand why God allows certain tragic things in our life, we can determine to always trust Him.
The ole’ timers used to say, “It’s better to go through life’s troubles with God, than without Him!” As a result, the solution to an offense towards God is trust. Trust God’s love and plan for your life even when you don’t understand His ways (Romans 8:28). One day, when life’s troubles are over, we will all be thankful for what we suffered because spending eternity with Jesus will be worth it all (Psalm 66:20).
Are you dealing with an offense towards God? If you want to be free from your offense pray this out loud, “Father, forgive me for doubting you and slandering your precious name. Please give me a heart to always trust you- even when I don’t understand you. I praise you because you are always good and worthy of worship. I believe no matter what I face, there is a purpose for the pain. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Reflection
Have you ever been bitter towards God?
Action
- Repent of any offenses you may have towards God.
- Declare your trust to God by praising Him everyday- even during life’s tragedies.
- Always remember, “God is good.”
