Silas
Beloved of All
Your honesty about the anger and distress you feel is heard, and the pain behind your words matters to God. When you see leaders acting with greed or laziness while many struggle to find work and provide for families, and when you hear of people so worried and hopeless that they consider ending their lives, it is understandable to feel a deep sense of grief and even anger. Scripture recognizes that there is an anger that is not sinful, an anger at unrighteousness and at what harms people. Jesus himself was angry when he saw hardness of heart and the misuse of what should be holy.
Yet Scripture also gives a clear warning, be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger. That tells us anger must not be allowed to settle and harden into bitterness. Bitterness is described as a root that springs up and troubles a person and through that person many others are defiled. One bitter root can spread and poison a whole community.
We see this in the story of Esau. He carried anger toward his brother for years, and when he wept it was not with repentance but with bitterness and hatred. That root of bitterness stayed with him and shaped his descendants. We also see it in Simeon and Levi, whose anger led them to terrible violence, and years later their father still had to rebuke that cursed anger because its consequences remained. God does not hide the sins of people, and his own anger is kindled against injustice and unfaithfulness, but vengeance belongs to him. He alone is the judge who sees all and will deal justly.
This is why we cannot pray as you worded it, that those in authority would gain wealth but never live to use it, or that they would be destroyed for their sloth and greed. To ask God to bring death upon them is to take into our own hands what belongs to the Lord. The day of vengeance is in his heart, and his own arm will bring justice in his time. Our calling is different. We are told to put away bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking, with all malice, because these things grieve the Holy Spirit who has sealed us. Instead we are to be kind and forgiving, as God in Christ has forgiven us.
Forgiveness is not a matter of counting how many times we must forgive. It is a matter of the heart and spirit. God commands it and if we are willing, he will give us the capacity to forgive. That willingness is essential. We pray, God, take away this bitterness, give me a spirit of forgiveness, and he answers a willing heart. This does not mean we excuse greed or injustice or that we stop praying for what is right. It means we release the desire for personal revenge and entrust judgment to God.
There is cleansing and pardon for anyone who will repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness. The only thing that keeps a person from forgiveness is not coming to ask for it. We were all at one time under the penalty of sin, but God offers forgiveness freely through Jesus Christ who bore our sins and paid the price for them. That offer is for citizens and for leaders alike. God changed the heart of Esau so that a meeting that could have been filled with recrimination became an embrace with weeping and forgiveness. He can change hearts still.
So let us pray in a way that honors God. Pray that those in government would see their sin, repent, and turn from greed and sloth to serve with honesty and diligence. Pray that God would grant wisdom and justice in policies concerning work and the welfare of the people, and that he would bring relief to those who are anxious and without employment. Pray especially for those who feel so hopeless that they consider suicide, that they would find help, hear the invitation to come to Jesus and receive his love and forgiveness, and know that their lives are precious to God. And pray for your own heart, that God would keep any root of bitterness from springing up, that he would fill you with peace and guard you from being defiled by hatred, even toward those you believe have done wrong, and also guard you from despising the foreigner, for God calls us to love our neighbor.
If you are carrying bitterness or hatred, bring it to the Lord now and ask him to take it away and to give you his spirit of forgiveness. If you know someone who is despairing about work or life, encourage them to seek help from a pastor or counselor and from trusted people around them right away, and remind them that in Christ there is forgiveness, hope, and a future.
Yet Scripture also gives a clear warning, be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger. That tells us anger must not be allowed to settle and harden into bitterness. Bitterness is described as a root that springs up and troubles a person and through that person many others are defiled. One bitter root can spread and poison a whole community.
We see this in the story of Esau. He carried anger toward his brother for years, and when he wept it was not with repentance but with bitterness and hatred. That root of bitterness stayed with him and shaped his descendants. We also see it in Simeon and Levi, whose anger led them to terrible violence, and years later their father still had to rebuke that cursed anger because its consequences remained. God does not hide the sins of people, and his own anger is kindled against injustice and unfaithfulness, but vengeance belongs to him. He alone is the judge who sees all and will deal justly.
This is why we cannot pray as you worded it, that those in authority would gain wealth but never live to use it, or that they would be destroyed for their sloth and greed. To ask God to bring death upon them is to take into our own hands what belongs to the Lord. The day of vengeance is in his heart, and his own arm will bring justice in his time. Our calling is different. We are told to put away bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking, with all malice, because these things grieve the Holy Spirit who has sealed us. Instead we are to be kind and forgiving, as God in Christ has forgiven us.
Forgiveness is not a matter of counting how many times we must forgive. It is a matter of the heart and spirit. God commands it and if we are willing, he will give us the capacity to forgive. That willingness is essential. We pray, God, take away this bitterness, give me a spirit of forgiveness, and he answers a willing heart. This does not mean we excuse greed or injustice or that we stop praying for what is right. It means we release the desire for personal revenge and entrust judgment to God.
There is cleansing and pardon for anyone who will repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness. The only thing that keeps a person from forgiveness is not coming to ask for it. We were all at one time under the penalty of sin, but God offers forgiveness freely through Jesus Christ who bore our sins and paid the price for them. That offer is for citizens and for leaders alike. God changed the heart of Esau so that a meeting that could have been filled with recrimination became an embrace with weeping and forgiveness. He can change hearts still.
So let us pray in a way that honors God. Pray that those in government would see their sin, repent, and turn from greed and sloth to serve with honesty and diligence. Pray that God would grant wisdom and justice in policies concerning work and the welfare of the people, and that he would bring relief to those who are anxious and without employment. Pray especially for those who feel so hopeless that they consider suicide, that they would find help, hear the invitation to come to Jesus and receive his love and forgiveness, and know that their lives are precious to God. And pray for your own heart, that God would keep any root of bitterness from springing up, that he would fill you with peace and guard you from being defiled by hatred, even toward those you believe have done wrong, and also guard you from despising the foreigner, for God calls us to love our neighbor.
If you are carrying bitterness or hatred, bring it to the Lord now and ask him to take it away and to give you his spirit of forgiveness. If you know someone who is despairing about work or life, encourage them to seek help from a pastor or counselor and from trusted people around them right away, and remind them that in Christ there is forgiveness, hope, and a future.
