Ceasing From Anger

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“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil” (Psalm 37:8).

Have you ever been so angry that your thoughts turned dark and sinister? I have, on more than one occasion; and but for the grace of God I surely would have done some foolish thing that brought ruin and heartbreak to so many others – not just to the person I was angry at.

Our verse says, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.” The Hebrew word for cease means “to go limp.” Have you ever tried to pick up a two-year old who did not want to be picked up? They go limp, like an old dish rag. You’re left trying to pick up something that shifts its form like jello in a burlap bag.

That’s what the Lord wants us to do when anger tries to grab hold of our hearts – go limp. Don’t give it anything to grab and hold onto. The word forsake, on the other hand, means “to let go.”

What the Lord is helping us do here is break our partnership with rage. Don’t let it take you for a dance, and don’t hold onto it as though it is your friend. Go slack so it cannot hold you; and do not hold on to it. Let it go.

That sounds all very good and wonderful, but it is not so easy to do; especially for those who have been enraged by another’s trespass. But, nevertheless, the Lord provides us with a way to walk out of the storm.

Tomorrow, I will outline a great and simple plan that will help you face and overcome the variety of forces that stir your heart with anger. This plan was devised by the Lord, and it will help you win without being wicked.
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