Have you ever been angry? I’m pretty sure we all have at some point, maybe you got angry that your child spilled something on the floor, or someone cut you off while you were driving down the highway or maybe you lost a job. But have you ever been so angry that it consumes you? An anger so strong it is like a consuming fire, a fire so hot that it burns everything around you. Well I have been that angry and I was so mad I forgot that I was a child of God and that His light was supposed to shine through me, and I am supposed to be like Him. That certainly was not the case recently and not something I am proud of. It was only for 24 hours that I was blinded by that kind of anger, and believe me that was long enough, before I started to calm down and remember who I was in Christ I realized God was reprimanding me for the way I was acting and how easy I let myself  get angry over things I couldn’t do anything about. We forget in that moment that God is in control of everything in our life and that we must trust that He does all things for our good.

I looked up “anger” in the Bible app I use and was surprised at how many verses there is about anger. I realized in that moment reading all those verses that wrath is God’s alone. He is the one that takes care of the things that hurt His children. I hope the next time something or someone makes you mad you pause and remember that God is in control. Pray for peace before anger consumes you. I know I will be on my knees praying for forgiveness and I will remind myself “vengeance is Mine so saith the Lord”. Here are a few of those verses that came up when I searched anger in the Bible. May you be blessed and slow to anger.

Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath”

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”.

Proverbs 19:11 “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression”.

Proverbs 20:2 “The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion; Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life”.

Romans 12:19 “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord”.

Colossians 3:8 “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth”.

James 1:19-20 “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Matthew 5:22 “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven”.