"Though you may not understand how, I am loving you and I am working in your life. Sometimes My ways are a mystery, but My Love for you is not. It is always perfect and always yours. Rest in this wonderful Love. Rather than trying to control things or think through your problems, close your eyes. Curl up in My Presence. Take a deep breath and let My Love surround you."
Prayer: Father God, We Cry Out...
Father God,
We cry out in our weakness to Your strength.
We cry out in our inability to Your ability.
We come to You aware of how limited we are and how unlimited You are.
We bring every place where we feel small, every burden that weighs heavy, every moment where we do not know what to do, and we place it before You.
We acknowledge that we cannot carry ourselves, we cannot save ourselves, and we cannot sustain ourselves without You.
You are the One who lifts us when we fall and steadies us when we shake.
You are our strength when our own strength runs out.
Father, we cry out in our weakness because You meet us there.
In the moments when we feel overwhelmed, You are calm.
In the moments when we feel broken, You are whole.
In the moments when we feel lost, You remain faithful.
We look to You because You are the only One able to hold everything we cannot.
We cry out in our inability to Your ability.
Your power has no boundaries.
Your wisdom is perfect.
Your love is steady and unchanging.
Where we do not know how to move forward, You already see the way.
Where we cannot heal ourselves, You are the healer.
Where we cannot fix what is wrong, You are the God who restores.
Teach us to trust what You can do rather than fear what we cannot do.
Help us really know You, Father.
Not just in moments of emotion but in the quiet places where You whisper truth.
Help us know Your heart, Your character, Your kindness, and Your presence.
Let our relationship with You become real and deep and transforming.
Open our eyes to see You more clearly and open our hearts to recognize Your voice.
Help us really love You, Father God.
Teach us a love that is sincere and steady.
Teach us a love that is rooted in truth and not in feelings alone.
Remove everything that crowds out our affection for You.
Grow in us a desire to seek You, to honor You, and to walk closely with You.
Let our love for You be a reflection of the love You have poured out on us from the beginning.
Father God, we cry out because we need You.
We cry out because we trust You.
We cry out because our hearts belong in Your hands.
Hold us, lead us, and draw us into deeper love and deeper knowing.
Amen.
Author: Ellie Mont
Scripture: Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2
Q&A: What Does The Bible Say About Anger?
Handling anger is an important life skill. Christian counselors report that 50 percent of people who come in for counseling have problems dealing with anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both the joy and health of many. Sadly, people tend to justify their anger instead of accepting responsibility for it. Everyone struggles, to varying degrees, with anger. Thankfully, God’s Word contains principles regarding how to handle anger in a godly manner, and how to overcome sinful anger.
Anger is not
always sin. There is a type of anger of which the Bible approves, often called
“righteous indignation.” God is angry (Psalm 7:11; Mark 3:5), and it is
acceptable for believers to be angry (Ephesians 4:26). Two Greek words in the
New Testament are translated as “anger.” One means “passion, energy” and the
other means “agitated, boiling.” Biblically, anger is God-given energy intended
to help us solve problems. Examples of biblical anger include David’s being
upset over hearing Nathan the prophet sharing an injustice (2 Samuel 12) and
Jesus’ anger over how some of the Jews had defiled worship at God’s temple in
Jerusalem (John 2:13-18). Notice that neither of these examples of anger involves
self-defense, but a defense of others or of a principle.
That being
said, it is important to recognize that anger at an injustice inflicted against
oneself is also appropriate. Anger has been said to be a warning flag - it
alerts us to those times when others are attempting to or have violated our
boundaries. God cares for each individual. Sadly, we do not always stand up for
one another, meaning that sometimes we must stand up for ourselves. This is
especially important when considering the anger that victims often feel.
Victims of abuse, violent crime, or the like have been violated in some way.
Often while experiencing the trauma, they do not experience anger. Later, in
working through the trauma, anger will emerge. For a victim to reach a place of
true health and forgiveness, he or she must first accept the trauma for what it
was. In order to fully accept that an act was unjust, one must sometimes
experience anger. Because of the complexities of trauma recovery, this anger is
often not short-lived, particularly for victims of abuse. Victims should
process through their anger and come to a place of acceptance, even
forgiveness. This is often a long journey. As God heals the victim, the
victim’s emotions, including anger, will follow. Allowing the process to occur
does not mean the person is living in sin.
Anger can
become sinful when it is motivated by pride (James 1:20), when it is
unproductive and thus distorts God’s purposes (1 Corinthians 10:31), or when
anger is allowed to linger (Ephesians 4:26-27). One obvious sign that anger has
turned to sin is when, instead of attacking the problem at hand, we attack the
wrongdoer. Ephesians 4:15-19 says we are to speak the truth in love and use our
words to build others up, not allow rotten or destructive words to pour from
our lips. Unfortunately, this poisonous speech is a common characteristic of
fallen man (Romans 3:13-14). Anger becomes sin when it is allowed to boil over
without restraint, resulting in a scenario in which hurt is multiplied
(Proverbs 29:11), leaving devastation in its wake. Often, the consequences of
out-of-control anger are irreparable. Anger also becomes sin when the angry one
refuses to be pacified, holds a grudge, or keeps it all inside (Ephesians
4:26-27). This can cause depression and irritability over little things, which
are often unrelated to the underlying problem.
We can handle
anger biblically by recognizing and admitting our prideful anger and/or our
wrong handling of anger as sin (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). This confession
should be both to God and to those who have been hurt by our anger. We should
not minimize the sin by excusing it or blame-shifting.
We can handle
anger biblically by seeing God in the trial. This is especially important when
people have done something to offend us. James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28-29, and
Genesis 50:20 all point to the fact that God is sovereign over every
circumstance and person that crosses our path. Nothing happens to us that He
does not cause or allow. Though God does allow bad things to happen, He is
always faithful to redeem them for the good of His people. God is a good God
(Psalm 145:8, 9, 17). Reflecting on this truth until it moves from our heads to
our hearts will alter how we react to those who hurt us.
We can handle
anger biblically by making room for God’s wrath. This is especially important
in cases of injustice, when “evil” men abuse “innocent” people. Genesis 50:19
and Romans 12:19 both tell us to not play God. God is righteous and just, and
we can trust Him who knows all and sees all to act justly (Genesis 18:25).
We can handle
anger biblically by returning good for evil (Genesis 50:21; Romans 12:21). This
is key to converting our anger into love. As our actions flow from our hearts,
so also our hearts can be altered by our actions (Matthew 5:43-48). That is, we
can change our feelings toward another by changing how we choose to act toward
that person.
We can handle
anger biblically by communicating to solve the problem. There are four basic
rules of communication shared in Ephesians 4:15, 25-32:
1) Be honest
and speak (Ephesians 4:15, 25). People cannot read our minds. We must speak the
truth in love.
2) Stay
current (Ephesians 4:26-27). We must not allow what is bothering us to build up
until we lose control. It is important to deal with what is bothering us before
it reaches critical mass.
3) Attack the
problem, not the person (Ephesians 4:29, 31). Along this line, we must remember
the importance of keeping the volume of our voices low (Proverbs 15:1).
4) Act don’t
react (Ephesians 4:31-32). Because of our fallen nature, our first impulse is
often a sinful one (v. 31). The time spent in “counting to ten” should be used
to reflect upon the godly way to respond (v. 32) and to remind ourselves how
the energy anger provides should be used to solve problems and not create
bigger ones.
At times we
can handle anger preemptively by putting up stricter boundaries. We are told to
be discerning (1 Corinthians 2:15-16; Matthew 10:16). We need not "cast
our pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6). Sometimes our anger leads us to
recognize that certain people are unsafe to us. We can still forgive them, but
we may choose not to re-enter the relationship.
Finally, we
must act to solve our part of the problem (Romans 12:18). We cannot control how
others act or respond, but we can make the changes that need to be made on our
part. Overcoming a temper is not accomplished overnight. But through prayer,
Bible study, and reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit, ungodly anger can be
overcome. We may have allowed anger to become entrenched in our lives by
habitual practice, but we can also practice responding correctly until that,
too, becomes a habit and God is glorified in our response.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"