Keep Cool and Keep Quiet

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

Psalm 4:4

Here’s some news you can use. You don’t have to say everything you’re thinking.

That especially applies when you are tired and running low on patience. Be careful about what you say. Usually, you’ll be happier if you say nothing at all.

Paul quoted the first part of this verse in Ephesians 4:26, adding this application: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” The principle is easy to grasp: Solving problems now saves trouble later, and delayed reconciliation means increased animosity.

Not all anger is sinful, but anger is such a powerful emotion that when we fail to deal with it properly, it can quickly harden into malice, rage, or even murder (see Matt. 5:21–26). Dealing with anger righteously is more important than going to church; it’s more important than giving money; it’s more important than praying in public or attending a Bible study.

Jesus taught us that uncontrolled anger is really a form of murder in the heart. But you say, “I’m no murderer.” That’s what you are if you harbor bitterness and resentment toward someone else. A murderer in church? How could that be? When anger fills your heart, you are prone to abusive speech because you harbor resentment toward others. Some Christians I know are so cruel in their speech that they leave a trail of bloody words wherever they go. God’s message is clear: Either you learn to control your anger, or your anger will destroy you from the inside out.

Let me ask three questions that probe at a deep level:

• Do you find it easy to lose your temper when things don’t go your way?
• Are you carrying a chip on your shoulder?
• Is your anger keeping you from reconciling with those who have hurt you?

We need a spiritual alarm within that begins to sound the moment anger takes over. “Ring! Ring! Ring! Danger! Murder Ahead!” Where anger prevails, murder cannot be far behind. Given the right circumstances, all of us would commit murder. Our hands are not clean because our lips are not clean.

Why bring this up? Because we are guilty of the very thing we said we would never do. We tend to be very quick to excuse ourselves.

Please understand that the Lord Jesus is not as quick to let us off the hook as we are. If we take Him seriously, then we’ve got to stop making excuses for our hidden anger, our buried resentments, and our tongue that is as sharp as a razor.

Don’t bury your anger. Deal with it. Talk it out with a friend. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Don’t go to bed angry, or you’ll wake up with a short fuse.

Lord Jesus, when I am angry, teach me to forgive as You forgave those who sinned against You. Amen.

1. Consider the three questions in this entry.

2. Which ones are true of you right now?

3. What are you going to do about it?