The Bible reminds us that God is slow to anger. Not so with most of us. An unkind word can set us off in a moment. My wife and I are amazed at the piddly things we can argue over, all the while claiming our own rightness. If God were like us, we'd be ducking all the time.
Cain was angry with God but he took it out on his brother. Someone has said, "If you don't talk it out, you'll take it out." Anger turned out leads to aggression. Anger turned in leads to depression. Jonah was depressed because God didn't do it his way. He's the passive-aggressive kind, the kind who often says, "I'm not angry, just hurt."
Like fear, anger can be positive, but it often is not. It finds expression in cutting remarks, pouting, silence, withdrawal, or attack. Our age has been dubbed "the angry generation." Unable to cope with life's stresses, people are pulling out guns on the freeway. We have seen the bumper sticker, "Don't get angry -- get even." Vindication is more socially acceptable than anger. Forgetting, procrastinating, being late, certain kinds of humor, or downgrading ourselves can each be a form of subtle retaliation.
Advertisement
Scripture acknowledges we will get angry, but we are encouraged to process it so we don't sin.
3. Do Not Let the Sun Go Down on Your Anger.
In other words, deal with your anger right away. Jesus said, "Make friends quickly with your accuser ..." (
Matt. 5:25). Paul said to put away anger. Anger neglected leads to bitterness, and bitterness is a sin.
One can have anger without sinning and anger without bitterness. Bitterness is anger gone to seed. Bitterness eats away at the soul like a cancer, affecting both the body and the spirit. Unprocessed anger is the cause of numerous health problems, the most common of which are headaches, colitis, stomach problems like ulcers, colds, and hypertension.
In
None of These Diseases, Dr. McMillen writes, "The moment I start hating a man, I become his slave. I can't enjoy my work anymore because he even controls my thoughts. My resentments produce too many stress hormones in my body and I become fatigued after only a few hours' work.... The man I hate hounds me wherever I go.... When the waiter serves me porterhouse steak with french fries, asparagus, crisp salad, and strawberry shortcake smothered with ice cream, it might as well be stale bread and water. My teeth chew the food and I swallow it, but the man I hate will not permit me to enjoy it. The man I hate may be miles from my bedroom, but more cruel than any slave-driver. He whips my thoughts into such a frenzy that my innerspring mattress becomes a rack of torture."
God asked Cain "Why are you angry?" so he would face up with his response and deal responsibly with it. Cain didn't.
4. Give No Opportunity to the Devil.
Destructive emotions need to be dealt with, although this can be painful -- even as the removal of a tumor from the body is both essential and painful.