Angry Enough to Spit?

“Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans. Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated – it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:7-9 CSB)

In case you haven’t noticed, we live in a world that is rife with sin. Evil is abundant everywhere. At times, some areas of our society pride themselves in flaunting their sin, reveling in it, and their great thrill seems to come from inventing new avenues that lead to the self-expression of sin. If that is not demonic, I don’t know what is.

What is truly disturbing is when those who do evil prosper at the expense of godly people. Those who revel in sin rejoice anytime they can succeed in leading astray those who are trying to live a godly life. Such people even consider themselves agents of enlightenment, while in reality they are further spreading a shroud of darkness and death.

People who are truly godly are enraged by this. They do not understand how God can allow such things to happen. They find themselves becoming more and more irritated, agitated, and angered.

Here is a reality to be reminded of, though: God also is irritated, agitated, and angered by evil, and sooner or later, one way or another, He is going to put a stop to it all.

Because this is true, David has some advice for us in Psalm 37. He advises that we not be agitated by evildoers, because they will wither quickly like grass and will ultimately wilt. He suggests that we continue to do good faithfully. As a matter of choice, he advises that we come before the Lord in silent worship and trust and wait expectantly for Him to take action in His time, and that we give up or lay aside our agitation, anger, and rage, which only succeed in bringing harm to us anyway. We are to counter by putting our hope in the Lord.

Here is how Paul says it in the New Testament: “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.” (Romans 12:21 CSB)

Lord, Help us to not allow ourselves to focus on the evil that is all around us, but help us instead to be people of compassion and love who focus on good and on doing good to counter the evil in our world. Help us in this day to live as an example of faithful godliness, and to come before You in quiet worship. Amen.