“But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.” (Psalm 78:38)
Where anger is hot, forgiveness is impossible. In the act of forgiveness we let go of anger. We turn it away and don’t stoke the flames of our wrath. We look upon the object of our anger with different eyes. We allow our heart to be filled with compassion instead of rage. Fury is not in us.
God Himself had to calm down at many a point in Israel’s history, when His people provoked Him to anger and jealousy. When they worshipped the golden calf, He told Moses: “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation” (Ex. 32:10). But Moses stood in the gap, making intercession for the people. “Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them” (Ps. 106:23).
God calls for us to choose mercy over judgment. He Himself is the example of one who chose to “cease from anger, and forsake wrath” and be longsuffering, merciful, gracious, and kind, again and again and again. Why? Simply because if He didn’t, all of His creation would be destroyed by His wrath. “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (Ps. 130:3).
God’s anger has gained Him man’s fear. “Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath” (Ps. 90:11) But there is a different kind of fear that His mercy has gained Him – an awe, an admiration, a respect that no anger could ever inspire. “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Ps. 130:3,4).
When anger would want to consume you and wrath would wax hot against another, remember the heart of God. He hates evil and injustice more than us, but He is willing to turn down the heat of His anger in order to show His truest colors: “Fury is not in me” (Isaiah 27:4).
Be known less by your anger, and more by your mercy. Respect will be on your way.