Daily Power #49

“The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.” (Num. 14:18)

I remember one time when our church staff was having lunch together. As we came out of the restaurant, a truck pulled up and the driver said some very graphic and disrespectful words to one of the women in our group. I was instantly enraged and began chasing the truck as it sped away—and I’d probably still be chasing it if my buddies hadn’t held onto me and calmed me down.

You may handle anger differently. Some people fight back immediately when something sets them off, like I did that day, and they make anger part of their default defensive setting. Others don’t seem to get angry much at all and may go weeks or even months before they reach their boiling points. Some people express their anger through words, while others take action—or avoid taking action—to communicate their feelings.

The Bible tells us that God is slow to anger. Even when we disappoint him through our disobedience, if we confess our sin, he loves us so much that he instantly forgives us. He doesn’t blow up like a hothead with a short fuse. Even when God is angry, his love and compassion remain. He will not become so furious with us that he cannot forgive us. His nature is love, and through the gift of his Son, Jesus, he’s chosen to always forgive us so that we can be with him forever.

Power Lift

Lord, I’m grateful that you are slow to anger, that you don’t express your anger the way I do sometimes. Help me to control my anger and to show forgiveness and mercy to others, even when they provoke me.