NOVEMBER 5, 2015
Angry Prayers
Fools
give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.— Proverbs 29:11
Read:
Psalm
86:1-13
The neighbors probably didn’t know what to
think as they looked out their windows at me one wintry day. I was standing in
the driveway with a garden shovel clutched in my hands, whacking wildly and
angrily at a clump of ice that had formed beneath a corner gutter. With each
smack, I was uttering prayers that were variations on one theme: “I can’t do
this.” “You can’t expect me to do this.” “I don’t have the strength to do
this.” As a caregiver, with a long list of responsibilities to handle, I now
had this ice to deal with, and I had had enough!
My anger was wrapped around a bundle of lies:
“I deserve better than this.” “God isn’t enough after all.” “Nobody cares
anyway.” But when we choose to cling to our anger, we become mired in the trap
of bitterness, never moving forward. And the only cure for anger is truth.
The truth is that God does not give us what we
deserve; He gives us mercy instead. “You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you” (Ps. 86:5). The truth is that God is
more than enough, despite what we see. The truth is that His strength is
sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9). Yet before we can find such reassurance, we may need
to step back, lay down the shovel of our own efforts, and take Jesus’ hand
that’s extended to us in mercy and grace.
God is big enough to listen to our anger and
loving enough to show us, in His time, the path forward.
Loving God, forgive me for my outbursts of anger. Today I
choose to lay down my sinful anger and accept Your mercy and grace. Thank You
for forgiveness and for truth that leads to wisdom.
Shelly Beach is the author of several books, including
Precious Lord, Take My Hand: Meditations for Caregivers.
Grace: Getting what we don’t deserve.
Mercy: Not getting what we do deserve.
INSIGHT:
The psalms are often read as windows to the
soul—songs that reflect the reality of our emotions and struggles. They
encourage us to understand that God can handle our honesty as we express
ourselves to Him. Yes, God is big enough to absorb our anger and listen to our
complaints, but we must not overlook the context in which the writers of the
psalms expressed their feelings. In today’s passage, over and over David
recognizes his place in relationship to God. He acknowledges that he is “poor
and needy” (v. 1), he is faithful to God and trusts in Him (v. 2), and he is
God’s “servant” (v. 4). It is important that we understand who we are in
relationship to God when we bring our hurts and struggles to Him. J.R. Hudberg
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015