A Faith that Overcomes Anger

Holy anger implies a strong faith.

Again, God has promised in many passages of his holy Word, his aid and protection to those, who endeavor to fulfill his purposes by obeying his will. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” The man, who truly believes in God’s veracity, and of course who believes in his promises of assistance, will find his purposes and efforts much strengthened by such belief. This, as is well known, is the result of a law of our nature, which is universal in its operation, namely, that we shall find our purposes strengthened and shall put forth the stronger effort, where we have some hope and expectation of succeeding. The man, therefore, who has this faith in God, will be much more likely to succeed in his attempts at keeping the angry passions under control, than one who is without faith.

And then there is the promise of ultimate victory, (the promise not merely of assistance, but of triumph,) which can never fail to be fulfilled in the behalf of those, who look and who act for its fulfillment in a proper manner. We are told that all things shall work together for the good of those, who love God. Numerous are the passages of Scripture, which assure us in very explicit terms, that the wrath of the wicked shall avail nothing against the people of God. And the wrath of Satan, operating in the form of an inward temptation, will be found equally unavailing. Beautiful is the language of the Psalmist. “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” It was said to the Apostle Paul, on a certain occasion of great trial, “my grace is sufficient for thee.” Under such circumstances we may admit that we sometimes have reason to be displeased and angry; we cannot love sin; we cannot be indifferent to it. On the contrary, as those who love God, we must be displeased with it; we must hate it. But it is still true, whatever may be the fact or the ground of our displeasure, that we have no reason and no right, on scriptural principles, to be impatient. We have no reason and no right to be intellectually agitated and confused in our anger; we have no reason and no right to be unkind and unforgiving. God’s will and God’s glory, which are only other expressions for the highest reason and the highest rectitude, require the opposite. And what is reasonable and right, what is God’s will and God’s glory, faith in God will always render possible. And if faith can sustain us in temptations and trials of this nature, we need not fear, that it will fail us any where else. So true it is, in the language of the Apostle John, that, “whatsoever is born of God, OVERCOMETH THE WORLD. And this is the victory, that overcometh the world, EVEN OUR FAITH.”

— from The Life of Faith, Part 2, Chapter 8.