Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. - Psalm 37:8-9 Other than the very...
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. - Psalm 37:8-9
Other than the very words of Jesus Christ, these words from Psalm 37 are perhaps the most convicting of any when referring to our anger getting us into more trouble that it was worth. The psalmist isn’t warning us about protecting human life; he’s telling us we should not turn our anger into active wrath. There is no mention of the fear for our lives or the lives of innocents.
Let us first define wrath. According to Merriam-Webster, wrath is a strong vengeful anger or indignation or retributory punishment for an offense or a crime. And we can define retributory punishment as ‘revenge.’ The Scripture is categorical with humans and revenge; such a response to any wrongdoing remains God’s purview, and God’s alone.
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” - Romans 12:19. Both the Old Testament and the New are replete with warnings about humans avenging any wrongdoing.
Not that Scripture proscribes us from preventing a wrongdoing if it should be within our power. What Scripture admonishes is the wrathful action of our uncontrolled anger. We must not worry ourselves about how we can get back at someone who has violated us in some earthly manner, but leave it to God to see the righteousness reigns. “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.
Imagine all the heartache and distress we could avoid if in our hearts and minds we could just come to terms with the fact that God will make all things right in His own time. We could calmly walk away, knowing that God sees all things and forgets nothing. And while we are so busy concerning ourselves with the here and now, God is busy with our eternity! What we should do is pray for God’s strength to endure and persevere. This is God’s plan for us. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12. This is God’s plan for us when we face adversity and affliction. Hope, be patient, and pray. That is what our response should be under situations of duress and challenge.
No one has ever said that turning the other cheek would be the easy thing to do. But as Christians, we are seldom called to do the easy things. We are called to carry our crosses ... and without complaint! “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14:27.
We simply cannot react to the ways of the world in a worldly manner. If we did so, how could anyone tell us apart from the world? When we counter-punch every assault; if we cursed every curse; and if we wrestle with every opponent, how are any different in the eyes of our observers? How would we be any different in the eyes of our observers? The evil we accuse our enemies of, we will be guilty too. And we know by God’s own word that evildoers will be cut off.
And do we still not know that for many of those who look upon us, we are the only ‘Bible’ they will ever see? How will they differ our angry cursing from the Gospel we preach? How will they ever know the difference between worldly words and the word of God?
Of course, it is a challenge to refrain from anger and forsake wrath! If it was easy, anyone could do it. We can’t even hope to accomplish such a task on our own power. We need the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, to shut down our impulses. Jesus assures us of that much. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5. But we have great power when we rely on our Lord and Savior. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13. We must not only look like Christians; we must act like Christians. Let us refrain from anger and forsake wrath, knowing that our inheritance awaits us.
