Be angry! Go ahead! Apparently anger is not the sin. It is what we do with it that is so dreadful. We try to get revenge. We want those sinners to pay, by golly! Psalm 37:8 says it perfectly: Keep yourself from anger, and leave wrath alone! Don't worry. It can lead only to evil.
Think of all the things that anger works in people. Gossip, murder, abuse and many addictions. So what are we supposed to do with what we feel when we are betrayed or used? When we are angry, rightfully so? Let God take care of it. Let Him take revenge. If you can trust Him to take care of all your needs, can't you trust Him to be watching what is happening in your life and take care of the revenge that you expect? He says: Vengeance is Mine and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. (Deuteronomy 32:35) Ouch! I would hate to be at the other end of the plans of the mighty God taking revenge for something I did to one of His kids. Because He is sovereign and knows everything, He knows when the foot of your enemy is just about to slip. Oops. My enemy thought she was getting away with it. But my God is watching. So, I can let it go and sleep at night without the wrenching night sweats of anger.
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27) There is this other thing. The devil. He loves it when I am angry. He can get me to do the most outrageous things when I am out of control. I can definitely look pretty stupid and say or do things that hurt other people. Not much doing good to my enemy to "heap coals of fire upon their heads" when I cannot control burning anger enough to think!
In His last words to His disciples before enduring the cross, Jesus commanded them to love the Lord, their God, and to love each other. Anger kinda stops that flow in its tracks because inherent in it is judgment. I had to take a long walk on the beach yesterday to get hold of my own hurt feelings. Those feelings were drawing me into anger. As I tried to explain it to my God, it all became confusing. Why was I taking on this offense? What do I do with the way I feel? The pounding of my feet on the pathway and the swinging of the weights in my hands were a welcome physical relief and helped me blow off steam. The workout also gave me much needed clarity. I have an enemy who needed to be addressed. In the name of Jesus, I took care of that! I had forgotten, in my own irritable introspection, that the enemy of my soul was most certainly dancing about in glee that I was fuming, focusing on my hurt instead of my blessings. Sword out, shield up! Scram, you! And, ah, the relief of being able to think of something else besides myself. God is my defense. This warrior is trying to trust daily that He takes care of even my defense.
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