What’s our problem, anger or fear?

In TheNational, Rashmee Roshan Lall contends that “Fear, not anger, is gripping voters around the world.”

Anger is filling the airwaves and is even evident in political crowds, but I tend to agree with Lall. Something happened several years ago that led me to believe fear is the real issue.

I remember the incident vividly. Robert said something minor one morning and my angry response was totally out of proportion to the offense. I quickly saw that I’d overreacted and forgave him immediately.

But I remained upset with him. Thinking I hadn’t truly forgiven, I sought God and forgave him again. And again. It didn’t help. All day long, I was an attitude waiting to happen, but I couldn’t figure out why.

I don’t like being at odds with anybody, but especially not my husband. In the evening, I told Robert I needed help and asked him to listen to me so He could pray for me. (Side note: it’s courteous to warn your husband that all he has to do is listen. Otherwise, he’ll feel the need to fix it.)

I shared my struggle, admitted it was foolish, and asked for prayer so I could move on.

Robert listened patiently, but he didn’t pray. Instead, he asked, “What are you afraid of?”

Immediately, I identified the fear which grew from the comment that morning, and the anger disappeared. Instantly, it was gone.

Instead of praying for help, we thanked God for His faithfulness and the knowledge that He will handle any incident that causes us to fear.

In his article, Lall identified major fears around the world, and how history shows us that when fear and anger prevail in a civilization, it leads to bad decisions. I would interject that the same is true in personal relationships. Simmering, frustrated fear muddles reasoning and leads to emotional decisions.

Today, there is reason for concern. When you can’t do anything to fix a problem, you tend to feel trapped and insecure. That leads to fear. When the problem continues and the fear isn’t resolved, anger simmers, looking for a target, just like it did for me that day. I couldn’t get rid of it until I recognized it.

Once I identified the fear, I knew God was with me, He could handle it, and I didn’t need to fear. That resolved the anger.

In the Bible, God speaks a lot about fear. In fact, He tells us to fear. However, according to the Word, our normal fear is misplaced. When they faced threatening situations in life, the Lord repeatedly tells His children, “Fear not.”

For example, when the children fled Egypt and became trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army—a position of sure doom—Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exod. 14:13-14).

Did you notice in that verse what we are to do, and what God will do on our behalf? Through Israel’s fear, we learn that even mighty armies are not a threat if we stand still and trust in the Lord to fight for us. If He can rescue untrained, unarmed slaves from an attack by the Egyptian army, He can take care of anything we face.

When His children were afraid because of their situation—whether in the nation or as individuals—God said, “Don’t be afraid.”

On the other hand, the Bible is full of reminders to fear the Lord. Furthermore, He promises mercy and blessing if we fear Him—rather than fearing what may happen or what others are doing. A few examples are:

• “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe” (Prov. 29:25).
• “You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you” (Deut. 3:22).
• “Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land” (Ps. 85:9).
• “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11)
• “He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great” (Psalm 115:13).
• “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).
• “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them”(Ps. 145:19).
• “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge (Prov. 14:26).
• “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil” (Prov. 1:33).
• “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil” (Prov. 19:23).

When faced with doom, we don’t have to adopt anger as a way of life; instead, we need to identify our fear.

Unfortunately, the longer we remain angry and focus on the thing that is causing fear, the more likely we will see our fears come to pass.

The solution to our troubles will be found in God. He will work for us.

When Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water to meet Jesus, he looked at the waves around him and began to sink. Then, he looked to Jesus and held out his hand for help. Jesus lifted him up from the threatening waves.

The waves are dashing against us. They’re unrelenting. And anger does not help. In fact, it makes matters worse.

But we don’t have to be gripped by anger or by fear.

It’s time to lift our eyes and hands and reach for the Lord. He will lift us up. He will also fight for us and we can hold our peace.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7), and “He will ever be mindful of His covenant* (Ps. 111:5).

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chron. 7:14).

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*Learn more about “His covenant,” where He promised to be our shield and protection (and much more) in The Great Exchange: Bound by Blood. You’ll learn the seven exchanges of the ancient covenant ritual and the significance of each. It also shows the significance of the covenant in the lives of believers. Our problems become small when we are in covenant with the living God.