MEDITATION:
Written by Robert D. Jones, a contemporary pastor, professor, counselor, author, and speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “Anger: Calming Your Heart.”
Where should we begin our reflections on handling anger? We could start with the varied ways we express our anger—sometimes we vent, sometimes we stew. We could start with why we get angry—what triggers our anger and what drives it. Or we could start with the antidote to anger—godly behaviors that should replace it, such as self-control, patience, and forgiveness. But the best place to begin is with God, and his explicit invitation for us to come to him.
Whatever our situation, whatever our emotional state, we should go to God. As John Calvin put it, “there is no time in which God does not invite us to himself. For afflictions ought to stimulate us to pray; prosperity supplies us with an occasion to praise God.” Negative emotions like anxiety or sadness can’t keep you from God; positive emotions like happiness and contentment shouldn’t keep you from God. God invites you to come.
Anger easily arises when your circumstances bring suffering or when friends, family, or coworkers mistreat you. But God invites you to talk to him. Commit yourself to praying about your anger and seeking God’s help.
PRAYER:
From the Gelasian Sacramentary, a book of Christian liturgy, which is the oldest western liturgical book that has survived. The book is linked to Pope Gelasius I. It was compiled near Paris around 750.
Almighty God,
hear our prayers
and pour on us your loving tenderness,
that we who are afflicted by our sins
may be refreshed by the advent of our Savior;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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