Be angry and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.

Psalm 4:4

Anger is the most natural response to injustice, to wrongdoing, to being cheated, lied to and hurt.

We are told in recovery that it’s the dubious luxury of normal men. And that resentment (not anger itself, but the cancer from it) is the number one culprit of selfishness and self-centeredness.

And here in the psalms—which, by the way are full of anger, lament, and calling out to God for justice—we are told to be angry.

It’s not the whole picture, though. It’s easy to highlight the justification of anger and downplay the command to not sin and to be silent.

The next verse says, “Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.”

It’s a case of both/and not either/or.

Resentment has the potential to kill the recovering person. And it’s because of the inverted perception it requires us to hold. We become focused so much on the wrongs done to ourselves or others that we become stuck—separate from God.

Instead, we ought to continue our daily seeking of his will for us.

As we ponder this in the quiet, it is appropriate and good to bring the hurt and the anger to Him so that we won’t sin against Him by lashing out.

As our trust increases, our burning to dole out justice decreases.

God, use my anger to draw me to you and free me from using it wrongly.