You Can Still Trust God, Even When You Don’t Like Him
Published October 14, 2026 at 8:15 AM EDT
Billy Crystal, at the LA FireAid Benefit Concert (Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA— Actor and comedian Billy Crystal told CBS Sunday Morning on October 11, 2026, that he no longer trusts God after losing his Pacific Palisades home and his friends director Rob and Michele Reiner.
God has been extremely good to Crystal: 78 years of life, a 56-year marriage, children, grandchildren, a celebrated career, and an estimated $50 million fortune. He has resources to rebuild if he choose, though some things cannot be replaced. It is reasonable to conclude that he has considered himself extremely blessed compared to others until now.
At his age, a man should possess the wisdom to guide the younger generation through hardship. An elder statesmen. His reasoning instead reflects adolescent spiritual confusion.
Why blame God before examining human responsibility? The Reiners’ son, Nick Reiner, is accused of killing them. What drove him? Who shaped his upbringing and worldview? Them.
God did not send Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to Ghana during the fire emergency or approve the initial $17.6 million Los Angeles Fire Department budget reduction. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a budget reducing planned wildfire-resilience funding by $144 million. These were human decisions deserving scrutiny.
We have experienced the same faith failure as Billy Crystal, the same feelings of betrayal, disillusionment, and loss. We have hated God because we could not bend His will or convince Him to lower His standard to meet our expectations. We've endured death, sickness, loss of jobs, possessions, relationships, and reputation. We've been Humiliated, cast aside, and left for dead. So, we feel Crystal’s pain, but we just can’t go there with him.
God owes us nothing. He has given us so much in Christ. Jesus warned:
“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33, KJV
God “sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” —Matthew 5:45, KJV
American Bible Society author Randy Petersen calls bringing complaints to God an act of faith. Adam Murphy argues that loving God can coexist with disliking Him. Anger need not destroy trust.
"Be angry and do not sin" —Ephesians 4:26, KJV
Crystal’s public rejection of trust denounces faith’s foundation. Distrust breeds hatred.
Billy Crystal, if he ever trusted God or had faith in God, had very little faith—like the man who builds on sand:
“A foolish man, which built his house upon the sand … and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” —Matthew 7:26–27, KJV
Or seed on shallow ground:
“Yet hath he not root in himself … for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” —Matthew 13:21, KJV
Life is profoundly fragile, and experiencing sudden or tragic loss can shake us to our very core. Our faith must be firmly rooted in fertile ground.
Related
The Paradox of Faith: Loving God, Even When You Don’t Like Him — Adam Murphy, Medium
Is It Wrong to Be Angry With God? — Randy Petersen, American Bible Society
Trusting God Through Doubt: Q&A With Lysa TerKeurst — Bible Gateway
How to Trust God, Even in Difficult Times — Brittany Yesudasan, Cru
Angry at God — Yale Center for Faith & Culture, interview with Julie Exline
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