Stop Being Angry

 

 

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” (Psalm 37:8 NASB)

 

I fear anger.

 

I know the truth of Psalm 37:8, that anger leads only to evildoing. I have seen this in myself, I have seen this in others; we live in an immediate society and broader world culture in which it is true that anger leads only to evildoing. While there is indeed a “godly anger,” we should beware of using that concept to justify our own anger and self-righteousness – for godly anger is manifested in humility and compassion and in self-denying service to Christ and others – it does not “seek its own” for it is born of love.

 

Hearts and souls and minds that feed on anger become sick and toxic, when anger metastasizes in a person or a society then individual souls and entire societies shrivel and implode upon themselves…sin does its hideous work within us:

 

“The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts and raw wounds, not pressed together or bandaged, nor softened with oil.” (Isaiah 1:5b – 6 NASB).

 

As I have written before, and have often shared with others, in some of my Bibles I have lined through the word “man” in the following verse, and above it written “Bob”.

 

“…for the anger of man/Bob does not achieve [or work] the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

 

And in those Bibles in which I have not written “Bob,” I nevertheless read the name “Bob” when I read this verse. You might say this verse has been engraved in my mind, on my heart, and in my soul.

 

Back to Psalm 37, in which the context of verse 8 gives meaning to the verse, to the command to cease from anger and forsake wrath, and not to fret or worry, because it will lead to evildoing.

 

The psalm begins with, “Do not fret because of evildoers…” Throughout the psalm the reality of the wicked and their evil hearts and deeds is acknowledged; evil is not denied, it is acknowledged. However, our focus is to be on God, He is to be our center of gravity and our North Star, and the psalm concludes with:

 

“But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh; He is their strength in time of trouble. Yahweh helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 37:39 – 40).

 

Consider what our True North should look like in this psalm:

 

“Trust in Yahweh and do good.” V. 3.

 

“Cultivate faithfulness.” V. 3.

 

“Delight yourself in Yahweh.” V. 4

 

“Commit your way to Yahweh.” V. 5.

 

“Trust also in Him.” V. 5.

 

“Rest in Yahweh.” V. 7

 

“Wait patiently for Him.” V. 7

 

Then in verses 1, 7, and 8 we have “do not fret.”

 

What else do you see in Psalm 37?

 

If we focus on the wicked and their wickedness, if we focus on evil, then we will not only fret, but we will become angry and wrathful – just as the world is, and it will lead to evildoing. We do not deny or ignore evil and wickedness, but nor do we combat evil with evil, we do not drink from the same cup as the world. We stand against evil by trusting in Christ, delighting in Christ, waiting for Christ, resting in Christ, committing our lives to Christ. We do not do this in isolation, but in koinonia with those who are His and in serving all men and women, boys and girls; the thankful and the unthankful, the good and even the evil (Matthew 5:43 – 48).

 

O dear friends, the news of the world is not the news of the Kingdom of Christ. The news of Christ is Good News, it is the Gospel. We should be cautious about what we put in our minds, about what we look at, about what we focus our attention on – and we should not naively minimize this challenge in our chaotic electronic world, nor should we foolishly think that we are immune from the poison swirling around us.

 

Yes, I do fear anger.

 

But I also rejoice in the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

“Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things…and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6 – 9.