The Jesse Tree: Praying Your Outrage

Advent 2021 – The Jesse Tree

his is a series of reflections on daily readings designed for families during the season of Advent. 

“I hate this freaking disease.”  Sophia said breaking the tearful silence we’d been sitting in.  Just a few moments before I’d showed her a text I’d just received.  It said simply, “S…. passed away today.” 

While S…’s death wasn’t completely unexpected, we continued to pray and hope for her recovery.  Mutual friends orchestrated an online vigil.  We held onto hope, in part, because S… was a person of hope, and it seemed the best way to honor and support her. 

Sophia’s bluntness tapped into the outrage simmering just beneath the shock and sadness of this news.  It’s infuriating to see a friend, who should be enjoying the prime of her life with her young children, succumb to illness and death.  Something inside rages against the injustice of it all.  Why, in a world of full of difficult, immoral, and downright evil people, should a woman who, typically, radiated joy and hope to people around her, pass so soon? 

What do you do in moments of quiet outrage?  What do you do with the feelings of frustration, anger, disappointment, and betrayal that you feel towards God?

Day Nineteen – Outrage: Habakkuk

The book of Habakkuk is a series of prophetic complaints.  The prophet cries out, “Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?  Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?”  (Habakkuk 1:2). There’s an urgent appeal to God for help, for deliverance, for the transformation of his culture, for a renewal of faith and faithfulness.  Maddingly, God doesn’t seem to answer.  There’s an implied history in these words.  This isn’t the first time the prophet is bringing his urgent plea, but his petitions seem to be falling on deaf ears.  What’s more infuriating than sincere pleas for help being ignored? 

Habakkuk is justifiably angry.  But his prayer is about to get much worse. 

Instead of answering him with words of comfort, God responds by promising to raise up Judah’s enemy, the Babylonians, to destroy Jerusalem and his own temple.  This is too much!  Habakkuk can’t understand, won’t understand, God’s response.  And so, he continues to complain, argue, and vent to God in prayer. 

Perhaps we can all learn something from Habakkuk.  What would happen if, in these moments of disappointment, frustration, and outrage, we prayed our outrage?  What if we brought our “that’s not fair….how could you… and, I hate this,” to God?  In Habakkuk’s case, the complaint leads to dialog, and ultimately to one of the most profound expressions of faith in the whole Bible.  (Habakkuk 3:17-19). 

If we’re able to pray our outrage we just might find it, and ourselves, transformed.

How have you prayed during seasons of distress, outrage, and anger?