Bible Reading: Job 24; James 1:17-21.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” – James 1:19 (KJV).
The bible says anger rests in the bossom of fools. ( Eccl 7:9). This is because the behaviour that one exhibits out of anger is often foolish and regrettable after all issues have settled. Moses, in Numb 20:8-12, smote the rock instead of speaking to it as directed by God and that prevented him from getting to the promised land. There is no doubt that the Israelites provoked Moses but that is not excuse for him to disobey God. It is easy to refer to this mistake of Moses but you should also examine yourself noting that two wrongs do not make a right! People could annoy you, situation could put undue pressure on you such as Job who lost his wealth and further afflicted with boils. But inspite of that situation, he refused to bow to the pressure by his wife to curse God and die! If he had reacted based on his affliction, he would have exhibited so much anger which could have led him to say the wrong things!
There will always be offences that could lead one to be angry but that is not a basis for taking a decision at that point. This is why the bible says in James 1:19 (KJV): “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” It goes further to tell us in James 1:20 (KJV): “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
Man’s wrath will take him out of the righteousness of God. So we need to be careful in our day to day activities to ensure we do not get angry so quickly. Interestingly, God has given us the solution to the challenge of anger; be slow to speak! So you should ensure you do not respond immediately to every word spoken against you or act spontaneously in response to any offence against you; rather, take your time to understand the issues at stake by listening attentively at all times. Thereafter, examine all the issues and look out for what God will want you to do in the circumstance before responding particularly when you are hurt. When you always look out for the will of God in every situation, you would be seen to Honour God and in response, God will honour you.
Action Point: In all situations, take time to understand the various sides of the issues before responding.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero