by David Chadwick
Unresolved anger is our seventh burden that was laid at the foot of the cross during our Service of Darkness at Moments of Hope Church. This is a big one. Hurts and pains over the years can pile up and greatly impact the human heart. When things happen in our past that aren’t yet solved or resolved, they can haunt us. So what do we do?
For me, I have learned that I must begin with the fact that God allowed or permitted the pain to come to me. He is bigger than my circumstances! Even Satan in Job 1 had to ask permission from God to attack Job, who was God’s special servant. Satan is a creature. God is the creator. Nothing can happen outside of God’s control and perfectly ordained plan.
Look at Luke 22. The same truth applies. Satan had to ask Jesus for permission to sift Peter like wheat. And Jesus granted it. This can be a hard truth to grapple with, but if you sit in it long enough, I believe you will find solace that there is a sovereign hand forming and shaping each step of the story for our good and God’s glory. God’s providence rules all.
So, with painful memories and unresolved hurt, I often ask Jesus things like, “Why did you permit this? What are you trying to show me? What do I need to learn? How do you want to conform me more to your image and likeness?” I go on to look for areas of confession and repentance. I may ask him, “Do I need to confess arrogance or pride? Are there places in my life that need to be submitted to you once again?”
Then I seek to search my heart for times in my life when I may have hurt others the way that I am feeling hurt. I become reminded of when Jesus flooded my heart with his undeserved grace and mercy to heal my sins. Then I try to extend that same grace and mercy to others.
Finally, I try to see the good that’s come out of the situation or hurt. And then thank God for it all.
Healing grace, over time, helps heal unresolved anger. Did you know that only one consonant, the letter “d” separates anger from danger? As we learn to release our anger to God, we become enveloped by the love and safety of the Father. For the sake of our eternal souls, we must release all of our pain and unresolved anger into the hands of our loving, gracious, kind, and merciful and good Daddy in heaven.
Today’s Prayer of Confession: Father God, deliver me from evil. Remove the danger of unresolved anger and replace it with the safety of FORGIVENESS (Matthew 6:14).