As my friend and I were taking a walk, we started chatting about the Bible. She surprised me when she said, “But I don’t like the Old Testament much. All of that hard stuff about God’s anger—give me Jesus!”

We might have thought something similar, especially when we read bits like this from the book of Nahum: “The Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath” (1:2). And yet the next verse fills us with hope: “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power” (V.3).

When we dig more deeply into the subject of God’s anger, we find out that He’s not just full of rage. Usually, when God uses His anger, it’s to defend His people or His name. We see this not only in the Old Testament, as He calls His people back to Himself, but in the New Testament, when He sends His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.

We may not understand everything about God’s love and anger, but we can trust that He is faithful and that He loves us. We need not fear Him, for He is “good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (V.7).

By: Amy Boucher Pye

To Pray About . . .

Father God, You are good, loving and merciful. Even Your anger is good, so help me to understand more of Your ways today.