Can I Be Thankful and Angry? Understanding Honest Worship

Can I be thankful and angry at the same time?

 

Short answer: YES.

 

Long answer:  Still yes. :) 

Gratitude is an intentional act of worship but sometimes we think we can’t worship God if we don’t “feel” like it. If we’re feeling warm and loving towards God, then its a great time to worship but if we are angry or grieving or (insert your emotion here) then our worship is a lie. It’s insincere and we shouldn’t worship that way. 

There are so many places in life where we feel one way but we do something else. We get frustrated with our kids but we still make them dinner. It’s not insincere. It’s macaroni. Our spouse forgets something important at night but still wants us to come to their event the next day. We grit our teeth and go. Our love is bigger than the moment.

Emotions come and go but our relationships remain. 

 

Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday. Some of us have had years that we aren’t incredibly thankful for. Jobs have been lost. Family members are gone. We find ourselves in a new city where we don’t know anyone. (That’s me.) Our emotions are big and they aren’t exactly positive. Can we still worship God sincerely when we aren’t "feeling it"? 

 Can we still worship God sincerely when we aren’t "feeling it"? 

 

Absolutely. 

Take a look at David in Psalm 25. In verses, 8-10 we see David praising God:

Good and upright is the Lord;

  therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

He guides the humble in what is right

    and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful

    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

Sounds great right? Keep reading and find out how he’s feeling while offering that praise in verses 16-17:

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

    for I am lonely and afflicted.

Relieve the troubles of my heart

    and free me from my anguish.

God knows exactly where we are because He is right there with us. He knows we’re grieving. He knows we’re angry. He knows we’re uncomfortable. We can bring all those thoughts, emotions, and fears to Him as part of our Thanksgiving. We serve a God who can carry the weight of our feelings and doesn’t demand a fake smile. We can worship Him in our pain, in our anger, in our anything. He’s bigger than all of it. 

Thanksgiving on your mind? Joy has some thoughts on inviting people in!