Anger Issues! | Psalm 37 | Joy Bombs in the Psalms – Anger Issues Edition

Let’s open the medicine cabinet of God’s Word and find the remedy for anger. We’ve already touched on it a little bit this week. It’s trust in God. It’s faith that He’s going to work it all out for our good and His glory. You ready? Join me in Psalm 37.

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Transcription:

God wrote a book, pages and pages of God, his thoughts, his words, his heart right there just a few inches away.

Kicking off the Bible for Busy People today with some really powerful words from pastor and author John Piper. I’m Erica, your host, and it’s Friday. You know what that means? It is time for joy bombs in the Psalms and all this week we’ve been studying anger issues. What the Bible has to say about anger. We’ve even looked at temper tantrums in the Bible, right? Well, today I’ve got the remedy for you. Let’s open the medicine cabinet of God’s Word and find the remedy for anger. We’ve already touched on it a little bit this week. It’s trust in God. It’s faith that He’s going to work it all out for our good and his glory. You ready? Join me in Psalm 37 right now.

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. 2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.3 Trust in the Lord and do good.

It’s almost like David the Psalmist is saying, Mind you biz, let God do his thing.

Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. 6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

See that verse is very important because so often injustice in our own personal lives, or when we look at the world, that can cause anger, but here’s a promise from God. He wants to make the justice of your cause shine bright like the noonday sun. Verse seven, now.

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. 8 Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. 9 For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

See, God is playing the long game. Verse 10.

Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. 11 The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. 13 But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. 14 The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. 15 But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. 17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. 18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. 19 They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. 20 But the wicked will die. The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke. 21 The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. 22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die. 23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Hold out your hand right now and remember that the God of the universe, the Lord who loves you, is holding your hand.

Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. 26 The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. 27 Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. 29 The godly will possess the land and will live there forever. 30 The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. 31 They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. 32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. 33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

Here is your final remedy for the week.

Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. 35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. 36 But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! 37 Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. 38 But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. 39 The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.

Oh my goodness. Let’s choose peace. Let’s choose trust. Let’s choose to find shelter in the Lord, instead of choosing anger. Let’s let it go. Lord Jesus, help us to let these angry feelings go. In your name we pray, amen. Hey, till next time you are loved.

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