“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

When I wrote The Path, I was at a low point. I felt like God had abandoned me in the purpose He had given me, and I was angry! Make no mistake, this song is me yelling at my Father… “I can’t be done!” I can just imagine some people gasping at my audacity! How dare you yell at God?! To that, my only response is, “Are you kidding me?!”.

Anyone who professes to always have perfect peace in their lives… who never faces a moment of anger or fear over a situation or time they find themselves in the middle of… is a liar. That may sound harsh and/or judgmental, but I guarantee it’s the truth. Even Jesus questioned God, (see Luke 22:40-44), and we’re only human! Trust me, God always has his big boy pants on, and He’s more than capable of handling any little temper tantrums we may throw His way. The sin is when we don’t leave our anger at God’s feet, but continue to carry it around with us and let it seep into our lives and interactions with others.

Going back to that passage in Luke, Jesus wasn’t exactly looking forward to the idea of what the next day would bring. In fact, Luke tells us he was in agony over it! He was pleading with God to change his circumstances. Now, Jesus, being quite a bit better at being Holy than the rest of us, was absolutely pure in his conversation with his Father. I, on the other hand, have a harder time keeping my emotions pure and holy, and so let myself go down the road of anger with God. Did I surprise God? Absolutely not! Psalm 139 acknowledges that God knows everything about us… vs. 4, “Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, oh Lord, You know it all.” The key here, is to leave it with God.

My prayer was between myself and God, but He allowed me to put it into a song, I believe, to let others know that anger over God’s plans is not a sin. Being angry with God over a circumstance is not a sin.

I’m borrowing from many other wise people before me here, but a good saying to remember is, “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become.” James 1:12-15 tells us, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

God didn’t give me the situation I was in to tempt me to sin. He did, however, allow the situation to test my resolve to follow His plan for me. Did I sin by yelling and questioning God? I don’t believe so. God tells us to come and reason with Him (Is 1:18), so He definitely welcomes questions, and anger in and of itself is not a sin. (Remember that Jesus was angry when he turned over the money changing tables at the temple. Also, Ephesians 4:26 tells us, “Be angry, and yet do not sin…”) Now, if I had yelled at God, didn’t leave the anger with Him, and then took that anger back into my daily life where my interactions with others would have been compromised, that is where the sin would have been. The key is to leave it with God, and trust that He already has everything worked out. We just need to remember that we don’t understand all that He’s doing and we never will. That’s where the trusting comes in!

And so, my path remains as it has for the last 15 years… Trust God, and try to do what He tells me. My life is His, after all. Any control I thought I had was merely an illusion and a daydream. I’m not done yet!