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Shownotes:
Resilience is often associated with suppressing emotions, but the key lies in harnessing them for good. Emotions serve as signposts guiding us toward a greater dependence on God. Anger is often the superficial emotion covering over a deeper, less acceptable emotion.
Three Biblical Examples:
Cain’s Anger
Genesis 4:3-5 (NLT) When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT) “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Genesis 4:8 (NLT) One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
Cain’s anger stemmed from God’s rejection of his offering. Digging deeper, the underlying emotion was dejection, fueled by insecurity and comparison. Substitute anger, a false sense of control, led Cain to a loss of emotional, relational, and spiritual control. The story concludes tragically, with Cain’s anger leading to the murder of his brother Abel, showcasing the destructive power of unchecked emotions.
Moses’ Anger
Numbers 20:1-2 (NLT) In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried. There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.
Numbers 20:8 (NLT) “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”
Numbers 20:10-11 (NLT) Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.
Numbers 20:12 (NLT) But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”
Moses’ frustration boiled over due to the Israelites’ continuous complaints. God instructed him to speak to a rock for water, testing his obedience, trust, and self-control. Moses, overwhelmed by frustration, struck the rock twice instead. Despite God’s grace allowing water to flow, there were consequences. Moses was denied entry into the Promised Land, emphasizing the cost of unresolved anger on one’s journey to resilience.
Jesus’ Anger
Matthew 21:12-13 (NLT) Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”
Matthew 21:14-15 (NLT) The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant.
Jesus displayed righteous anger, driving out those who defiled the temple. However, instead of dwelling on anger, Jesus immediately turned to positive actions, healing the blind and lame. This righteous anger led to declarations of faith but also stirred resentment in the religious leaders. Their unresilient anger ultimately led to Jesus’ crucifixion. The lesson here is to harness anger for good by cultivating a prayer life, taking positive action, admitting vulnerability, and releasing grievances to God.
