“When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath [your exasperation, your fury or indignation] last until the sun goes down. Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give not opportunity to him]” (Ephesians 4:26-27).
Many people are afraid of their own anger and don’t know quite how to handle this uncomfortable emotion. There have been times in my life that I have experienced feelings of anger, and I pray, “Lord I don’t want to be angry”. In reply- His understanding, gentle, Spirit speaks to me, “I know you don’t, but you are”. I understand the importance of what He is telling me, as He urges me to talk it out, feel it out, and release it out, and put it on Him. He does not want me to carry anger in my heart, and give Satan an opening to hurt my soul, my spirit, and my body.
There are other people who feel comfortable with their anger, and they use it to hide behind, or to exert power and control over other people. But even, if we feel secure, settled, or ‘numbed out’ in our emotional anger, God gives explicit instructions on how to deal with this universal, human dilemma.
Anger, is a normal human emotion that reacts to loss, injustice, pressure, etc. It’s the way we handle or don’t handle it that makes it a positive or negative force. The Biblical directive does not say “don’t get angry” but “when angry, do not sin.” So the question is: how can we get angry and not sin?
It is vital that we understand that Christ’s open arms on the cross, invite us to put our anger on Him. He is our Savior and wants to take and carry away the destructive power of continued, day after day, exasperation, fury, and indignation. We must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us how to release our angry feelings and let God have them. Some people feel comfortable releasing their anger by feeling it during prayer, just as King David did throughout the Psalms. Many have gotten in touch with and released anger through art, and writing journals. The Lord is very creative, and will meet each person at their point of need. Others may need a counselor, loving Pastor, or a caring friend, to help them navigate through the settled in anger in their heart.
The imperative directive is this: do not keep holding on to your anger day after day! When we do, it gives the Devil a gateway into our hearts. This opening will eventually create devastation in our personal, spiritual, emotional, and physical health. As we choose to hang on to anger, we will become bitter, cynical, and negative. Then we will miss the experience of walking in the kingdom of love, joy, and peace that God longs for us to discover.
Surely all of us have allowed the sun to go down on our wrath, and it may take many suns to work it all out, but the important issue here is that we keep working on letting go of the anger until we find the grace to put it down, forgive, and be set free to move on in the good plans God has for our lives.