Anger… there just seems to be opportunities everywhere. You name the subject and you can find someone that is offended and angry. And if you are not angry with them, they get angry at you! Social media has given our culture a megaphone to scream at people for their opinions.

My dad & I had very few arguments but the ones we had were very heated and they were always about politics…never about the stupid things I did. He allowed me to experience the pain of the consequences to teach me that he was right. And he was. But…

This brings me to the question, “What do I get angry about?” Looking back, most of the things that have angered me were about “ME” and my situation. It was about my position, my comfort, my right, my respect… “ME”…my self-centeredness.

I was convicted to write about “ANGER” from our BSF study of Nehemiah. In Chapter 5 Nehemiah was made aware of the cause for the people’s hardship. The nobles  & officials (Jewish Leaders) were charging usuary rates of interest to their fellow Jews. As a result, the people were starving and even selling their children into bondage to survive. In verse 6 Nehemiah said , “When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.” What follows is significant. “I pondered them in my mind…” Notice he pondered in his mind. One characteristic of Nehemiah is he always prayed first. Always.

I believe he was prayerfully asking God to help him sort out, “is it about me or You, God?” Next, I believe he was asking God what should his response be? Remember, Nehemiah always went to God first for his instructions. Always.

Anger moved Nehemiah. But Nehemiah’s response reveals to us how we should respond. Nehemiah chose to: To Stop… Pray! Determine if it was about himself or God? Nehemiah had many opportunities to be offended & mad by the way he was treated. He repeatedly responded by doing his job, rebuilding the wall. He never allowed himself to be distracted because he got his feelings hurt. He represented God.

There are 2 questions I need to always prayerfully ask myself… is it about me or God? And Two, will my response bring Honor & Glory to God?

After Nehemiah “pondered,” he continued in verses 7-11, “and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say. So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”

This is the part I love. God honored Nehemiah because Nehemiah first honored God. It was not Nehemiah’s words but God stirring the people’s hearts to do the unthinkable when they responded with, “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”( Nehemiah 5:12) Nehemiah was a man of great influence because he allowed God to be in charge. Nehemiah honored God and not himself.

What will you do the next time things don’t go your way? Will people see Jesus though you or will they see the world’s way? Ponder these words of Jesus, “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45.