Focal Passage: Psalm 35:1-3, 13-18
As much as we may try to remain undisturbed, we are bound to get angry sooner or later. It is unavoidable. Both making someone angry and becoming angry are in our nature. No, anger is not bad in itself. It can be an indicator of hurt, grief or injustice. What we do with our anger, however, matters very much.
God understands our anger. In fact, God gets angry too. But we must recognize that God is the only one Who is perfectly just, and vengeance belongs to Him. When we are angry, we can make our anger known to God. He cares for us, and He has promised to intervene on our behalf as He sees fit. Our role is to treat others with love and compassion and not respond to them in anger. Jesus teaches, “Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).
Throughout scripture, God teaches us how to respond to others when we are angry. “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21).
These things are often contrary to the way our anger desires us to respond when someone has offended us. When we try to avenge ourselves, we put ourselves in the place of God and make matters much worse for ourselves and others. Our angry reactions can hinder someone from experiencing conviction from the Holy Spirit and turning to Christ. But we can rest assured that when we leave our anger in God’s hands, He will grant us peace, and He will understand and care for us.