Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Are You Angry?


Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
-Matthew 5:5


We're not very familiar with the meaning of the word “meek” these days – it's one of those words whose value has slipped to the wayside along with “mild” and “lowly.” What a tragedy, as its definition encompasses such beauty: gentleness, not demanding of one's own way, not easily irritated, long-suffering, humble.

Sadly, we are all too familiar with the reality of one of its opposites: anger.

Sometimes anger manifests itself in dramatic outbursts of rage, fuming and spewing all the pent-up frustration that's been so deeply buried that we didn't even realize it was there. Sometimes we carry around in our hearts a sort of low-grade anger that just sits below the surface of our every waking moment, gradually eating up all the other life-giving feelings such as joy, compassion, gratitude, and kindness.

The response of anger can result from innumerable situations: unfulfilled longings, tragedies, disappointments, pain, physical exhaustion, not getting our own way, guilt, pressure, unmet needs...the list could go on and on. Life tackles us periodically (for some, constantly) with these things – sometimes as a result of our own sin, sometimes as a result of someone else's sin, sometimes under the direction of the Enemy – always under the sovereign, perfect, watchful, loving eye of our Omnipotent God. Nothing enters our world that is out of His control, and He ALWAYS has a plan for our good and His glory, if we will trust in Him.

So, what are we to do? I don't know anyone who actually enjoys being angry and frustrated (most of us prefer the “joy” and “peace” end of the spectrum, out of which our aforementioned quality of “meekness” flows). If anger is something we will all battle in this life, we can be sure that God has something to say about it in His Word:


In your anger do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry...Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
- Ephesians 4: 26-27, 31-32
 
“Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger.” - Proverbs 29:8
 
“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:9
 
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment...And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
- Matthew 5:22
 
“[Love] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” - 1 Corinthians 13:5
 
“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips...Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love...” - Colossians 3:8, 12-14a
 
“...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
- James 1: 19b-21

Without question, God wants anger to have no hold on our lives. He is a God of peace and wants all His children to walk in consistently authentic joy. We cannot do that if we allow anger to have a stranglehold on our lives. So, if anger is common to all humanity, how are we to get rid of it?

In Christ alone.

Only He had the power to satisfy the righteous wrath of God against all humanity by living a perfect life and laying it down on the altar of the cross, then victoriously rising again three days later! He alone has conquered anger and the destruction and ultimate death it produces. He alone has overcome the power of all sin – including anger – and He freely gives this gift of victory to all who will accept it.

If you are a child of God through faith in Christ, then this victory is already yours. You must now simply walk in it by trusting every moment of every day in the sufficiency of Jesus. If we will allow ourselves to fully bathe in the healing truth of the forgiveness and acceptance we are offered because of Christ's work on the cross (not our own!), how can our hearts help but release the anger we have clung to? All our hurts and hang ups...they all find purpose when we live with a grander view of the tapestry of life, realizing that it's not about us at all – but about the beauty and glory of our Redeemer. He has so mercifully rescued us from the destruction that our wayward hearts were destined to deliver and we are now made right with Him – the God of the universe – and promised eternal life! What more could we possibly every need?

Our challenge from here forward, till the end of our days, is to continually remember that the fullness of life that we are all frantically searching for from birth has been provided for in our union with Christ. He is enough! The whole point of life is “to know God and enjoy Him forever,” for in Him “there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). Nothing else this side of heaven will ever truly bring lasting peace and joy – not a higher salary, healthy kids, a slower schedule, a cleaner house, a new mate/job/house/car. None of these things are what life is ultimately all about (and the disappointment we feel when they fail us inevitably leads to more life-smothering anger). But how easily we forget that! Our hearts are so quick to absorb the incessant lies with which they are bombarded every day.

So, how are we to stay focused on the one eternal truth that life is all about God (and not us!) and that because of Christ's saving work on the cross, God is now for us (Romans 8:31)? We fight back the darkness with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance...” (Ephesians 6: 17b-18). Through God's gift of His Word, we are renewed every day with such astounding, beautiful truths that anger loses its vice grip as we turn it over to Christ. If we are believers in Christ, then we can take comfort from His Word as we are reminded that:

  • God is totally sovereign and completely in control and nothing is outside of His domain, so we really need never get frustrated or angry over anything, even if we miss the flight! Wow! (Psalm 103:19)
  • All things (even our hurts and failures) are working together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28)
  • He will always love us even though we fail Him (Romans 8:38-39)
  • He accepts us because when He sees us, He sees the righteousness of His Son, not our feeble, failing attempts at it (Colossians 3: 1-4)
  • Even though we are far from perfect yet, He is giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13) and will never give up on growing us into His likeness (Philippians 1:6)
I thank my Merciful Father that He saw fit to give me the free gift of salvation through faith in His beautiful Son, Jesus Christ. Only through His Spirit living in me can I have hope to conquer my struggles with anger (not to mention all the other known and unknown sins in my heart). I trust Him as my faithful, steadfast Guide through this life as He so patiently works on my “prone to wander” heart, and praise Him that although I fail continually and am not who I want to be, by His grace alone I am not who I used to be!

To read more about how you can have this same precious gift of peace with God through Christ, click here.