Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

What is an atheist? Is it someone who simply believes there is no God? What is an agnostic? Is it a person who refrains from denying God but doesn’t believe there is enough evidence to care? I believe it goes much deeper than this. I have spoken with many atheists and agnostics in my years of ministry. There is one thing that I have found to be consistent with atheists and agnostics and that is a spirit of anger or disappointment with God. Jesus said that all are given a measure of faith. Atheism is not a result of never having the ability to believe but rather it is the result of rejecting God because of some disagreement with Him. There are many who can’t accept the thought that God would allow the world to be in its present condition. They become particularly angry when God allows some personal tragedy or disappointment to happen to them. Rejecting God is considerably different from not believing in Him. When a person rejects God they then accept something else to replace Him. Their rage leads them to imagine many vain things. They accept lies as truth. They replace hope with hopelessness and forfeit the opportunity to find the knowledge that comes from the fear of the Lord. When faced with the trials of life may we seek understanding from the Lord instead of angrily rejecting Him.