Anger is danger.
Anger should be an indicator, not a dictator of our actions. It alarms us that something is wrong, but it does not have to control our response. There are levels of anger that begin with irritation and can progress to rage. Anger can reveal:
- Hurt
- Offense
- Disappointment
- Fear
- Injustice
- Unmet expectations
- Betrayal
- Deeper wounds
Anger can be stirred when someone cuts you off, cuts you with their words, or maybe cuts you deeply and causes a soul wound. Maybe they cut and hurt someone you love.
Anger tells us something is happening inside us, it doesn’t tell us what to do next. We have a choice.
When we allow anger to take over and remain unresolved, a progression can occur:
- We are offended
- We are angry
- We are bitter
- We are unforgiving
- We say harsh words
- We may retaliate
- Destruction can occur, beginning within our own hearts
Anger is not a sin, and there are times we should be angry. Serving at a ministry that helps young ladies that have been deeply wounded, I have heard stories that have pushed me to the point of deep anger. There have been times I wanted to avenge them.
With angry tears I have asked God many times to teach me how to “Be angry and yet do not sin…” (Ephesians 4:26).
So what do I do with this anger before it comes sin?
I am learning to give my anger to the Righteous Judge.
Psalm 7:11 says:
“God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.”
Indignation is “anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean.”
If God sees and is angered by the injustice in this world, why do I believe I need to carry the weight of it too?
When I choose to stay angry it’s usually because I feel something is unresolved, I want the person to apologize, I want to see the justice, or I want someone to acknowledge what happened.
For 33 years I carried anger and didn’t know what to do with it. It was killing me softly.
Today I’m learning vengeance and justice are too heavy for me to carry. I need to make sure I am yoked to the One who told me to learn from Him (Matthew 11:28-29).
His name is Jesus Christ.
Jesus not only tells us what to do with injustice He showed us what to do:
“…He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly… “(1 Peter 2:21-25)
That truth confronts me with a question:
Am I entrusting this offense to God?
I have had to admit that sometimes beneath my anger was unbelief. My anger was exposing places where I struggled to trust God.
- Will God handle this?
- Will He protect me?
- Will justice ever come?
- Why should I forgive if they didn’t apologize?
- Why did God allow this?
Confessing these doubts and questions to God allows me to admit my inadequacy and call on Him for help.
That does not mean ignoring that an offense has taken place. It does not mean allowing an unhealthy relationship to continue without boundaries. I can acknowledge that someone sinned against me while still asking God to give me a heart willing to forgive and he wisdom to know what steps to take next.
So what can we do with our anger?
- Identify the trigger
- Name what is beneath the anger
- Tell God honestly what we feel
- Surrender vengeance to God
- Recognize that forgiveness may require repeated surrender
- Establish boundaries when needed
- Choose our response before anger chooses it for us
What if we began to see anger as an early warning signal, an invitation to go to God and ask for His help? We can bring our anger to the Righteous Judge, trust Him with what we cannot carry, and ask the Holy Spirit to help us remain vessels of mercy and grace in this world, instead of vessels of wrath.
*I also published this on my substack Thanks for reading!
May God be glorified, Christ magnified and the Brethren edified.
Altar of Heaven 
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