Anger

No wonder you are greatly feared! Who can stand before you when your anger explodes? From heaven you sentenced your enemies; the earth trembled and stood silent before you. You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God, and to rescue the oppressed of the earth. Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon. Psalm 76: 7-10 NLT

My son probably could have written the first two sentences in speaking about me, his mother. No wonder you are greatly feared! Who can stand before you when your anger explodes?

And it is true, I do have an awful temper. And it can be made worse if I am tired, hurt or even at that time of the month. I know that my anger can truly explode!

But the psalmist is not talking about a person here but about God. What would God's exploding anger look like? How ticked off would God have to be to get that angry? I think the clue is in verse 10: Human defiance only enhances your glory. The more we are defiant, the more likely God is to react in anger. Yet, the key is to hear that God will use our defiance as a weapon.

I think this means that we are often our own worst enemy. When we are defiant, we can cause awful things to happen. Perhaps God doesn't have to do anything but watch us create far worse punishments than if God did the sentencing.

God, help me not to be defiant. May I be a proponent for the oppressed. May I stand in awe of you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims