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If your boss is angry at you, don't quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes. Ecclesiastes 10:4 NLT
Being the object of the anger of an employer, civic authority, or family member doesn’t float most people’s boats; it usually sinks them. But experiencing the impact of another person’s anger is a regular part of life. Although Solomon’s counsel to stay calm and to stay the course might negate only some of the anger, calmness at least inflates a life raft.
When Paul counseled against the disruption the gift of tongues brought to the churches, he reminded his readers, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). God knows the benefits of peace in our assemblies; He knows the role calmness plays in laying “great offenses to rest.”
Like Paul, David knew the angst produced when people stood against him, but he also knew the folly of taking revenge and retribution into his own hands. When you face another’s anger, David’s prayer can be your prayer too: “Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men, Who plan evil things in [their] hearts; They continually gather together [for] war.” (Psalm 140:1-2). When the anger of an authority, an employer, a family member, or a friend “rises against you,” choose to respond calmly, to pursue peace, and to pray.
Prayer: Father, whenever I feel the angst brought on by the anger of others, help me to choose calmness, peace, and prayer.
Being the object of the anger of an employer, civic authority, or family member doesn’t float most people’s boats; it usually sinks them. But experiencing the impact of another person’s anger is a regular part of life. Although Solomon’s counsel to stay calm and to stay the course might negate only some of the anger, calmness at least inflates a life raft.
When Paul counseled against the disruption the gift of tongues brought to the churches, he reminded his readers, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). God knows the benefits of peace in our assemblies; He knows the role calmness plays in laying “great offenses to rest.”
Like Paul, David knew the angst produced when people stood against him, but he also knew the folly of taking revenge and retribution into his own hands. When you face another’s anger, David’s prayer can be your prayer too: “Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men, Who plan evil things in [their] hearts; They continually gather together [for] war.” (Psalm 140:1-2). When the anger of an authority, an employer, a family member, or a friend “rises against you,” choose to respond calmly, to pursue peace, and to pray.
Prayer: Father, whenever I feel the angst brought on by the anger of others, help me to choose calmness, peace, and prayer.
