Have you ever wanted to slap someone? No? Just live a little while longer! There is that moment when you come to the conclusion that if you just stood up, drew back your hand, let loose with all the velocity that your anger and frustration could bring forth...yeah, you can feel it already...sweet relief! But alas, we know that giving in to our humanity in moments such as this are not relief but a dangerous trap that sinks us deeper and deeper into the grip of our own anger.
In Psalm 4:4 we read "Don't sin by letting anger control you!" So what do we do with all these feeling? The verse continues and then picks up in verse 5, "...Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust in the Lord."
Now this word silent doesn't mean "don't talk about it." We know because Psalm 3 comes before Psalm 4. There in verse 7 we read, "Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap ALL my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!" Our silence is being self-controlled enough to not take our anger out into the world, not in public but rather work it out on our knees in prayer, the sacrifice of prayer. In the right spirit here, I believe, means knowing to whom to take our complaint.
If they need slapping, if they need their teeth knocked out, let's trust that to God. If we take matters into our own hands, we insult the sovereignty of God. What we are really saying is, "God I can't trust You with this." This comforts me because if they are going to get slapped, His hand is much, MUCH bigger than mine!
Psalm 55 really brings home the reality of life sometimes by reminding us that often, the enemy of whom we speak was a friend. Nothing cuts deeper than the betrayal of someone you trusted...look at your hand. It wasn't made to strike. It was made to be joined together with your other hand on bended knee.
"But I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me." (Psalm 13:5-6)
Pastor Fred
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