How to pray when you are angry with God

Are you allowed to question God?

²O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.

³Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.

Habakkuk was a prophet in Judah, probably late in the seventh century BC. He saw violence and injustice around him and asked God why He was doing nothing. God answered that He was raising up the Babylonians. That troubled Habakkuk even more, and he said so. Read Habakkuk 1:12 to 2:3. Habakkuk then waited on the watchtower for a reply, and God answered him again.

Did Jesus ever pray like this?

¹My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

²O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.

Psalm 22 is a psalm of David. Jesus prayed its first line from the cross.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

The psalm does not stay in that place. By verse 22 it has turned to praise among God's people. But it begins with a cry of abandonment, and the Bible keeps that cry as Scripture. Read Psalm 22 whole.

Where does an angry prayer go?

¹⁷Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—

¹⁸Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk's book ends here. Nothing outside has changed. The fig tree is still bare and the fields are still empty. But he has brought his anger to God, listened, and chosen to rejoice in God Himself. That took him three chapters. Yours may take longer, and that is all right.

How can you begin?

1. Tell God what happened, and how you feel about it, directly.
2. Ask your real question, even if it starts with “why”.
3. Tell Him what you still need from Him.
4. Leave room for His answer, even if it does not come today.

For example: “God, I do not understand why You let this happen. I am angry, and I am telling You because You are the only one who can do anything about it. Do not let go of me. Amen.” This is a prepared example. Your own words can be rougher than this.

What if someone hurt you?

Anger at God often sits alongside anger at a person. If someone has harmed you, bring that to God too, and get help from people as well, including anyone who can keep you safe. Praying about it does not mean you have to stay quiet.

If you would like help finding words, write a prayer. You can also read what to pray when you do not know what to say, which walks through Psalm 13.