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Angry at God
One
day our friend Olga received a devastating phone call. Her husband,
who worked for a construction company, had been involved in an
accident at the work site. Her heart stood still when she learned he
had been killed instantly.
 Olga's mind
reeled as she glanced down at her three young children playing with
Legos on the floor beside her. None of them was even school age and
now they had lost their father.
As the shock wore off, Olga felt
overwhelmed by the harsh reality. She was especially angry at God for
letting this terrible thing happen to her. After weeks of agony, she
gave up on God.
Two years went by and she never talked to
God, except to curse Him. But she was also utterly frustrated with
men's institutions. She did not want their handouts that had strings
attached. The world had no answers for her and she felt utterly alone.
Then one day, as a last resort, she decided
to try God. She opened her well-worn Bible and a certain verse caught
her eye. "In every thing give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
She looked upward and said to God, "I am NOT going to thank YOU for
how YOU destroyed my life. I don't have ANYTHING to be thankful for.
It has been nothing but darkness and horror since that day Jeremy
died!"
As a child she had been taught that God was
a good God and that He watched over her. She also had believed that
His Word was True. As tears rolled down her cheeks, she remembered the
comfort of her childish faith. Where was her comfort now?
"Okay, God. I'm at the end of my rope. I
don't understand why I should thank You for taking away my husband and
ruining my life. But because I'm supposed to have faith, I'm going to
start thanking You. I thank You that I've been depressed for two
years. I thank You for closing the door every time I tried to get
help. I thank You that I am utterly worn to a frazzle."
After having it out with God, Olga began a
new pattern. As she hurried about her chores, she replaced her curses
with thank you's.
Sometimes she felt ridiculous, thanking God
for everything - the good, the bad, and the ugly. And if the truth be
known, she did it in a mocking way at first, but there was a thread of
belief, as well.
She thanked God not because she understood,
but only because she believed the Bible was God's Word. "God said it,
that settles it," she thought.
An amazing thing happened. The clouds
started lifting. She wasn't depressed anymore. She started looking
around her and there were all kinds of things to be thankful for, even
in the midst of all her misery and pain.
One day she went to a revival meeting and
met a preacher with an unusual message. He said, "I am here to call
God's people out. Quit supporting the world system. Quit using men's
institutions. Don't rely on them. Look to God for your every need."
The message touched Olga's heart. Everyone
had been telling her, "You don't have a thing to worry about. You can
get on government programs and they will take care of you." But she
just didn't think that was right. She realized God had been faithful
in providing for her and her babies without State assistance.
After the revival meeting, she went up to
thank the preacher. She told him about her experience of getting back
into the Bible and thanking God for everything. This was the first of
many meetings. Little did she know it, but this kindly widower would
eventually become her husband.
Today she has found new purpose in her
life. She accompanies her husband in their little private plane,
taking the gospel of the Kingdom from coast to coast.
During those dark, restless years, God had
been molding Olga for the task of being an evangelist's wife. Olga has
stopped asking, "Why?" and is forever grateful for all that He has
brought her through.
Her healing secret to health isn't
eliminating dairy products or jumping on a trampoline. Her secret
is getting back to believing in God's Word and being thankful.
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