Love to hear from and know who is listening
I don't consider myself to be a hot headed person that has a short fuse and flies off the handle in a fit of rage. Butttt... I must admit that I have a very low tolerance for certain things. Nothing will send me into a fit of rage faster than someone sitting at a stop light after it has turned green. I become even more enraged when the reason they haven't pulled into the intersection after the light turned green is because they are busy doing God only knows what on their cell phone. When I am in the safety of my own car and the person in front of me has know idea what I may be saying I tend to wave my hands scream out some things that I am certain do not glorify God. The other thing that really gets under my skin is people at Wal-Mart that think they own the entire isle and could care less if I can get around them. When I go to Wal-Mart I am not a slow shopper. I almost always have a list and I am in a hurry because I need to get the things I came after so that I can go finish my project. Almost without fail I get stuck behind the fluffy person on the electric scooter. I manage to hold my rage inside but I am certain that if you were to look at my face you would think I was going to bite my bottom lip off as I look for every opportunity to get around the slow poke shopper!!! Luckily for me God cause still use those of us who have a problem with anger and fits of rage.
In the book of Numbers chapter 20 the bible tells us of when Moses had a fit of rage. The Iseralites were in a desert and there was no water for the people or their livestock and so they began complaining to Moses.
Numbers 20:5 NIV Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!
Moses and Aaron heard the people and then went to the Tabernacle, where they fell face down on the ground and prayed. The Lord appeared to them, and said to Moses, “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 have enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.” So Moses and Aaron gathered the people together and as the two of them were standing at the rock Moses turned to Aaron and said Listen to them complaining! Moses became enraged and instead of doing as God had told him and speaking to the rock, he struck it with his staff and when that didn't work the first time, he hit it again!
Numbers 20:10-11 NIV He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
The most amazing part of this story is that instead of God reacting with a fit of anger and rage he showed Moses his “Amazing Grace” and provided water for all the people and their livestock. I can tell you from my own experience that when my children didn't do exactly as I had instructed them they never received my good grace. Matter of fact they almost always received the opposite, my rage, anger and a spanking. I am so thankful that God doesn't reward my anger with more anger, but instead with his Amazing Grace!!!
