4 Minute Read + Scripture readings
TODAY’S BIBLE READING:
Hosea 4:1–5:15
2 John 1:1-13
Psalm 125:1-5
Proverbs 29:9-11
TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE(S):
Proverbs 29:11 (CSB): “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person holds it in check.”
REFLECTIONS ON TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE(S):
We live in a society where we are told to just let things out. If you are feeling it, then just let ‘er rip.
This is why much yelling happens within family contexts behind closed doors. It’s why many vehicle horns are used in traffic. It’s why slanderous things are spread about someone who inflicted hurt.
But, we are told in our Verse for Today that it is a fool who simply lets his / her sin nature run wild as he / she expresses the anger inside of their heart. It is a simpleton who “gives full vent to his anger.”
So, what does a wise person do? He “holds it in check.”
The Hebrew word used to translate the previous phrase is used only two other times in Scripture. In both of those cases, it is used to talk of quieting a raging storm.
Psalms 65:7 (CSB): “You silence the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.”
Psalm 89:9 (CSB): “You rule the raging sea; when its waves surge, you still them.”
So, what is to be done the next time we are angered? Are we to just let it all out? Are we to “give full vent to our anger?” Well, if you want to be a fool, the answer is “yes.”
But, if you are someone who has the wisdom that God wants to give you (read James 1:5-8), then you will do what is needed to calm the raging storm within you.
How can you calm the raging storm of anger inside of you? Here are just a few actions to consider:
- Pray and ask God to turn your anger into peace and love.
- Realize that an emotional upheaval can radically impact your physical body. So, get rid of the stress by going for a brisk walk, or a run, or a bike ride.
- Think of something good and kind that you can do for the one who angered you and then perform that act of kindness.
Matt’s Musings 