These are outrageous times; prone to invoke rage.
I recently had a friend post a picture of a news article on facebook. She was outraged by the article and was calling for a boycott. This is what the article said “Bibles Pulled from Barnes and Noble for the outdated idea that all humans are made in the image of God”. My friend was rallying the Christian troops to arm up and take on this terrible injustice. She was so angry.
She was also deceived. Because what she didn’t realize is that she was posting a popular Christian satirical website called Babylon Bee and the story wasn’t true. Not that it matters that much, but Barnes and Noble are still selling Bibles.
Could we be in anymore confusing times? Technically yes. If you know anything about history, this isn’t actually that unprecedented. Although, there is technology. And that new bit of invention has made what we’re all experiencing now in 2020 very unique. Nothing is new to the Lord, but a lot is new for us.
However, as Christians we have a special responsibility in this moment. In the midst of the confusion it is our duty to be calm and reasonable. And in order to do that we need a lot of wisdom.
Wisdom like Proverbs 16:23-24, that says…
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
What we learn in this text is that wise people win others by speaking sweetly and seeking to learn. Foolish people are plenty with their words but they kill the soul.
Wisdom isn’t wisdom when it doesn’t shut up and it never gives life. As a culture, we really value the kind of wisdom that looks a lot like winning a debate. (Don’t get me wrong, there is time for debate.) But what wisdom actually looks like is, being teachable slow to speak, kind in speech, not fighting back, refraining from responding and not getting the last word in. That’s what wisdom looks like. And that could not be more antithetical to our world today.
As Christians there are so many things to be angry about when we look at society today. And you may be feeling the tension in your spirit now. But, I think we can all agree that shouting the loudest is not the answer.
One of the most common ancient uses of honey was to heal wounds and soothe pain. Gracious words can do that. They can heal and soothe. And they can also mend, restore, console and relieve the pain inside another person. Our words are powerful and they can build up or tear down. So what are your words doing?
Here’s another Proverb to help us. Proverbs 16:32-33 says…
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. The lot is cast into the lap, but it’s every decision is from the Lord.
In other words, being patient with others proves our trust in the Lord. We can say all we want that we trust God. But we prove it by how we respond to our own anger.
When this was written, military prowess was held in the highest regard. Someone who is mighty would look like a person that can take back a city, who can raise the loudest cry and be the the most powerful. But the exact opposite is true. Those who know how to rule their own spirit (their own anger) are the true mighty ones. The person that has no control over their anger is not the strong one but the weak one. He is the captive not the conquerer.
Ray Ortlund says, “Conquering a city is child’s play compared with ruling the turbulent, demanding, upset world inside us. The one is only the battle of a day. The other is the conflict of a lifetime.”
So who are we most concerned about conquering? Everyone around us? Society? Or our own wayward spirit?
Verse 33 is the antidote to all of this. Because when we trust God, there is no need to burn hot with anger, or lash out or try to take control back. We cast the lot of our prayers into the ears of the Lord and then we let Him have His way. And trust that His way is better than ours. Of course, the best example of this wisdom is in Christ.
1 Peter 2:23 says,
When Christ was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
Let that sink in.
Of all the righteous scenarios to fight back in the history of the world, that would be the one! And yet, Jesus went to the cross as meek as they come. He was led to be slaughtered, having done nothing wrong and what did he do?
He calmed his tongue and trusted the Lord. Perfect humility unto death.
How different we respond when we are mildly inconvenienced or when we see something we don’t like. We can justify our anger up and down. But for Christ.
What does this mean?
Before we hit send on our outrage, we must think about Christ. His willingness to mute his anger when his own rights were taken from Him, ought to speak very loudly when we find ourselves outraged when minor comforts are taken from us. With this in mind, let’s adjust ourselves to the times we’re in with wisdom by putting on the humility of Christ. When anger arises, may we conquer it with a deep trust in the Lord’s will.
In these confusing times, let’s not jump to unreasonable irritability towards everyone around us. But instead be a calm presence of grace. Being quick to listen and slow to anger.
And let’s win a watching world by letting only honey spill out of our mouths.