#DailyDevotion Don’t Be Angry. Join The LORD In Laughing
Psalm37 8Stop being angry, quit raging; don’t be upset, it only leads to doing wrong. 9The wicked will be destroyed, but those who look to the LORD for help, will take possession of the land. 10In a little while the wicked will be gone; then look carefully where he was — he won’t be there! 11The humble will possess the land and enjoy great well-being.
So previously in the psalm, David warns us against getting angry and jealous because it looks like the wicked are successful in their evil plans. Here he warns us against being angry, raging and upset. The reason is, it only leads to wrongdoing. When we act in anger and fear, we most likely will not do the right thing. We will do the sinful thing. Jesus warns us about anger in the Sermon on the Mount: Matt. 5, 22“But I tell you, anyone who is angry with his brother will have to answer for it in court. Anyone who calls his brother an empty-head’ will have to answer for it before the highest court. Anyone who calls him a ‘fool’ will have to answer for it in hellfire.” Paul quoting Psalm 4 says in Eph. 4, “26Be angry but don’t sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. 27Don’t give the devil a chance to work.” So watch your anger.
When angry, pray this psalm instead of acting, speaking or planning. Listen to what David says, “those who look to the LORD for help will take possession of the land.” Let God deal with those who are wicked. When we act out in anger, we take God’s place and make ourselves God. That can’t be good. Humble yourselves before God. While you can act and cause much harm, be meek instead. Didn’t Jesus say in the Beatitudes, “The meek shall inherit the earth”?
We are promised here, the wicked will be destroyed. It will be on the LORD’s timetable. There will come a time when those who are wicked around us, who cause us to be angry will be no more. There is coming a time when you will not be able to find wickedness or evil people anywhere. You may try to go and carefully look for them. They won’t be there. On that day, you will receive your inheritance, the New Heavens and New Earth, where righteousness dwells and reigns. What little benefit the wicked may receive in evil will be no more. Only eternal torment awaits them if they do not repent.
12The wicked man plots against the righteous, grinding his teeth at him. 13The Lord laughs at him because he sees his day coming.
You can be certain, if your faith and hope are in Christ Jesus, wicked men are planning against you. They want you to join them in their misery. Like their father the devil, they hate God and therefore they hate you. They grind their teeth at you particularly when they see their evil plots do not deter your faith and hope. They will never stop going after you. Don’t worry. Don’t get angry. Just put your hope in the LORD Jesus Christ.
David writes here concerning these wicked people, “The LORD laughs at him because He sees his day coming.” God is not as simple as we like to make Him. On the one hand, the LORD became man and suffered death, the punishment for these wicked to save them from His wrath. On the other hand, He laughs at them seeing their end if they do not repent. Perhaps it is the sort of laughter when you see someone trying to do something you know is not going to work. You know, when you look at someone and say to yourself, “Really?” and you chuckle to yourself. In any case, why not join the LORD in His laughter as you see the wicked plan and scheme. It will be more productive and less sinful than acting out in a rage.
Heavenly Father, grant us faith to put our hope in you when the wicked come against us. Help us to humble and trust in You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.