March 22, 2024 – Slow to Anger

“And now, therefore, let the power of the Lord be great in the way that you promised when you spoke, saying, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation.’ “Forgive the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have pardoned this people, from Egypt even until now.” Numbers 14:17-19

“You know the scene. You’ve rushed to the grocery store to get a few critical items your family needs. Your plan is to get in and out as quickly as is humanly possible. You sprint down the aisles and grab your stuff, then run to the checkout lines, only to discover that the self-serve lanes are closed for repair and only one clerk is working. Just as you reach her lane, a woman pulls in front of you with a cart of 150 items. You can feel your chest tighten. It’s not enough that she slowly reexamines every item as she puts it on the belt, but after emptying her cart she pulls out 120 coupons that have to be cross-checked with the corresponding grocery items. You’re beginning to get angry. Finally her quest to save every last penny is over, but then she discovers that she has to pay. It’s as if it’s a fresh concept to her. Until this point, she has made no move toward her purse, which is about the size of a camping tent for six. As she begins to pull makeup, cookies, and small children out of her purse, you bellow, “Come on, are you kidding me?” As everyone at the front of the store turns to look at you, you realize you said it louder than you planned.” (“New Morning Mercies”, March 25; Paul David Tripp)

I have been behind someone like the above example given to us by David Tripp. I have stood there wondering about the choices I make when getting in the line at the grocery store – how I always end up behind someone like that. It is hard not to let your seething anger, or at least your endless frustration to boil over. And yet you also know that the whole thing is ridiculously minor. You get mad at yourself because your anger is too close to the surface of your life. You’re irritated because your anger begins to seem more natural to you than patience.

We can only thank the Lord that the Lord does not seethe with anger when we delay our love, gratitude, and repentance. It is good that the Lord does not rain down upon us insults and gestures when we hem and haw about spending more time in church, or sharing our love more prodigally. Even on our worst days, G-d still loves us beyond all measure. Remember that the next time you are stuck in a slow line – and pray for patience instead of heaping up coals upon someone else’s head.

Pastor Dave