Beyond the Book with Dr. Hambrick: “Angry with God”

Written by Brad Hambrick, Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, “Angry with God” reflects Hambrick’s pastoral heart and his insights as an experienced counselor. In the following Q&A, Hambrick takes the time to answer a few questions about his recent book:

What is the book about?

This is a book about navigating the grief that follows intense suffering. It is a book about getting “unstuck” in the emotional quagmire that comes when the brokenness of this world hits us in ways that unsettles our faith. It provides an honest journey more than simple answers.

Who is the target audience?

I wrote this book for Christians who are hurting and, as a result, feel trapped between putting their pain into words and discarding their faith. I wrote this book for pastors and friends who want to come alongside these hurting believers in ways that are patiently helpful.

What motivated you to write the book?

Many people have welcomed me as their counselor into the aftermath of their hardest experiences. Even when counseling was helpful, they often found it hard to have the same kind of redemptively candid conversations with their Christian friends. This book was meant to facilitate those conversations between friends.

What are some common misunderstandings we have about suffering that keep us from processing our intense emotions with God?

As Christians, we are prone to think that all anger is selfish-anger; that is, James 4 anger. We miss that there is also grief-anger; that is, Psalm 44 anger. When we miss this, we are prone to think that God is against the honest emotions that emerge in our hardest times. That makes God, who we know should be our refuge, feel far off when we need him most.

How can we begin the important shift from anger “at” God to processing our emotions “with” God?

When we are angry at God, we think God is against how we feel so our prayers are as defensive as counterarguments in a courtroom. When we are angry with God, we realize God is compassionate towards the suffering we are facing so we talk with him (even if our tone is as sharp as the end of Psalm 44) as a friend who is a source of solace in hard times.

How does learning to be honest with God and others about our pain equip us to serve the Church and fulfill the Great Commission?

Most people who walk away from their faith, do not do so because Christianity is theologically complex. They walk away because of intense suffering (i.e., a cancer diagnosis, death of a child, betrayal at church) that they do not know how to process. If we are going to do ministry in a broken world, like the one we live in, we need to know how to be an ambassador of God’s comfort in these kinds of situations.

How has researching this book and counseling others to process their suffering with God shaped you spiritually?

This was a hard-but-good book to write. It required spending a lot of time reflecting on pain that does not have easy answers and considering what a tested faith looks like when processing tragedies well. On this side of writing it, I think my faith is grittier and more resilient.