God, I'm Mad

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV). I heard a story the other day of a man who encountered a bit of trouble while flying his little airplane. He called the control tower and said, "Pilot to tower, I'm 300 miles from the airport, six hundred feet above the ground, and I'm out of fuel. I am descending rapidly. Please advise. Over." "Tower to pilot," the dispatcher began, "Repeat after me: "Our Father Who art in heaven...'" Sometimes it’s easy to get mad at God. The key in those times is understand the source of our anger and then take the steps to release it appropriately. I read the following story recently in a journal for college students: Sweat ran down Dan's face and splashed onto the engine of his ailing Firebird. He had removed the faulty alternator easily enough, but getting the replacement to fit had become a 4-hour exercise in bloodied knuckles and fractured patience. Dan had long since passed the point of mere disgust. He was now ranging deep into the homicidal zone. Turning his grimy face skyward, he bellowed in exasperation, "Do You think I could get a little help here?" Five minutes later, he finished the job. There's something about the fresh honesty of certain "prayers" that God seems to delight in. Yet we may not even think of them as prayers. God knew about Dan's car problems. And God knew that Dan was a good mechanic who was relying on his own ability to get him through his problem. Dan's anger and frustration did not take God by surprise. The real question is why did God let Dan struggle in the first place? That question is at the heart of our anger. It was when Dan asked God for help that he finally met with success. Dan’s prayer strains our concept of prayer. We tend to believe that God should be angry at Dan's anger. I think God was just waiting to hear from Dan. One thing I've learned about our heavenly Father is that He loves to surprise His children with His grace and compassion. It is true that we should maintain reverence for God's power and perfection and holiness. But the whole point of the Incarnation was to make God accessible to us. This is the truth in our verses this morning. It is because of Jesus that we may approach God with boldness. When you pray, do you try to tell God what you think He wants to hear? Or, do you really communicate with Him? He does know the deepest secrets and feelings of your heart. Share them with Him and turn yourself toward the power that is available to you to face every circumstance you face. Prayer really works!