The World's Most Dangerous Prayer

As I have confessed before in other posts, I have been struggling with a bad attitude and anger issues this year. I really get the sense that God is dealing with me on this issue in a very serious way. I see a chain of events forming in my life that may bring this issue to a head. Rather than focus on all my problems, which I can’t change and only make me angrier, I am trying to work on what I can change: ME!

I want to become more godly and Christ-like. I want to become a man of virtue and character. I want to walk in the safe path of wisdom that leads safely through the fire and shadow of death to deliverance, rather than the comfortable path of foolish leisure that leads only to permanent destruction.

Today I will share with you what I studied in my own personal Bible study this morning. I am seeking God’s wisdom about being a patient and gentle man, rather than a hot-tempered fool. Some confuse patience with weakness. I have assumed, incorrectly, that patience with situations or people who are wrong is somehow weakness. I have let my impatience and frustration at a problem or people drive me to acts of quick-tempered folly. However, patience is not weakness it is wisdom. Self-control against opposition is not a lack of conviction; it is waiting for the appropriate time to implement your conviction for success.

Proverbs 16:32 says, “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” Patience can be mightier than physical force. A man who controls his temper can be more powerful than a man with the power to destroy an opponent. Rather than destroy a city, wouldn’t it be better to be patient and see if the king of that city can be won over by your virtue in the face of the difficulty.

Jesus could have destroyed us all because of our sin. Rather than be quick-tempered and destroy the world in one fiery blast, Jesus came and suffered among us and died on the cross for our sins. He did this to save us and persuade us to follow his ways. Proverbs 25:15 says, “Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.” Isn’t patient persuasion better than the cost of destruction?

Now granted, there will be some who still will not listen to reason and mock the patient love of God. Their destruction will be complete but it won’t be because God was hot-tempered and did not patiently wait to give people and opportunity to be saved. 2 Peter 3:15 says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”

Notice that Peter calls Paul’s discourse on God’s patience “wisdom.” Wisdom is patient. No wonder I am so often a fool. Proverbs 19:11 says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Patience is a sign of wisdom and virtue. If I have a lack of patience, then I must have a lack of wisdom. Ouch! Wisdom and patience are bound together and cannot be taken apart. Patience and forgiveness bring you glory.

Proverbs 14:29 says, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” When I go off in anger or show a lack of patience it is like a large neon sign flashing over my head, “LOOK HERE IS A FOOL!” How many times have I put my folly on parade? And you always end up saying, doing, or being something you regret. When you don’t apply self-control to justified anger, your impatience will lead to foolish acts of sinfulness. As it says in Proverbs 14:17, “A quick-tempered man does foolish things.”

Next time you feel a lump in your throat, your face goes flush, and you burn in anger remember trust in God and wait on him to fix the injustice or show you a path of patient wisdom to take to address the problem. Don’t just react with base fleshly responses, but look to the Scriptures for the patient gentle path that brings God’s power to play.

Proverbs 29:22 says, “An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.” If we are hot-tempered and have a short fuse, we will commit many sins. We will bring guilt on our own soul if we act emotionally rather than deliberately after contemplation of wisdom. James 1:19 teaches, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” There is the path of wisdom.

We also see that hot-tempered anger and impatient foolishness is unfortunately contagious. Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.” A harsh angry response only makes matters worse. With a slow methodical, logical, loving, gentle response of patience, a quarrel will die down and be extinguished with the cool waters of reason, compassion, and forgiveness. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

If we respond in a kind and patient manner, people will be more likely to do the same. It will expose their foolishness, if they rage on in the face of grace and peace. Likewise, an impatient and angry response will breed more quarrels and dissention. A quick temper is a contagious disease. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.” Notice that having a short fuse is a trap. It’s a snare. Don’t fall into it by hanging out with those already in its evil grasp.

There have been many hardships I have had to endure because of my temper. As a child I ended up in the hospital with stitches because in anger I reacted foolishly to my sister’s acts of injustice by jumping through French doors which led to her bedroom. I never did that again. I am sure God allowed that pain and didn’t spare me, because he wanted to teach me a lesson about physical violence. Now I am not a physically violent person in my anger. I had a hard lesson to teach me that. I still have a scar. I still have trouble with patience and controling my tongue. I fear a hard lesson about my tongue is coming soon and I prefer to learn the easy way rather than the hard way. I know God loves me enough to let me endure hardship to try to teach me the wisdom of patience.

Proverbs 19:19 “A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.” If you have a child, friend or employee who is hot-tempered and you help them escape the trouble their quick-temper brings, you will have to help them again later. Sometimes the only way to learn is to follow foolishness to its bitter reward. I hope to avoid this by following wisdom in a path of peace and patience. Asking God for patience may be the worlds most dangerous prayer. He has a way of answering that prayer. Dear God, help me to take the steps to change and have the wisdom to be patient in the face of anger.