A Prayer of Repentance for Angry Words
By: Emily Rose Massey
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20, ESV).
My husband and I have been married for almost twelve years, and although we would never admit to “having it all together,” one thing we have always fought for is to work through our disagreements. However heated they may become, we make it a priority never go to sleep angry with one another. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we try our best to be quick to forgive and ask for forgiveness.
But since we are still on this side of eternity, we are continually being sanctified every day. Sometimes, our flesh and pride get in the way of that pursuit for peace. That was the case in a recent argument that we experienced.
The two of us became so angry with one another that we continued to go in circles and rehash the argument. I found myself not thinking clearly and saying things that were hurtful, things I did not believe to be true. I would constantly interrupt my husband with what I wanted to say and never let him voice his concerns. In my frustration, I became so exhausted and confused that I didn’t have any energy to continue the conversation.
Thankfully, before we drifted off to sleep, we both took some time to calm down and began to apologize for our anger and hurtful words. Knowing anger that is not restrained can often lead to sin, and in this case it did, we both repented to the Lord and to each other.
We can find much instruction and wisdom in the Bible regarding the sin of unrestrained anger. James 1 has some beautiful instruction for us that is a wonderful reminder for our hearts, especially in marriage relationships:
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20, ESV).
Do you notice how our conversations with each other can be tied to the misuse of anger? This is especially true if we are not considering others before ourselves when we want to voice our opinion or concerns. The misuse of anger is called unrighteous anger because it is selfish and prideful in nature. Those who do not think of others when speaking are walking in pride, which can often lead to anger if met with resistance and tension. When anger is unrestrained and rooted in pride, we are not walking righteously before God. We are commanded to be quick to listen before speaking and patient when engaging in a tense discussion. What wise advice for married couples!
Anger is sure to occur when two people disagree, but we do not have to give into the temptation to allow that anger to fuel hurtful or hate-filled words toward the other person. We must fight to resist sinning against them and more importantly, sinning against God who calls us to walk in righteousness. To do this, we need to consider others above ourselves in our conversations with one another. May the Lord help us and sanctify us in our marriages and relationships with one another.
Let’s Pray:
Father,
Your Word has so much to say on the sin of anger, yet we give into this temptation all the time when we are challenged in our selfishness. I repent for sinning against those who have been made in Your image when I did not consider them above myself and allowed my words to cause pain.
This is especially true in my marriage. I have allowed my pride to lead me into unrestrained anger by lashing out and interrupting in our disagreements. Help me to follow Your wisdom of being slow to speak and quick to listen so that anger does not cause me to walk in unrighteous behavior towards my spouse, as well as my brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your grace to empower me to walk more Christ-like.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.
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Originally published Wednesday, 27 October 2021.
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