Why I Find Comfort in God’s Anger
Are you afraid of an angry God?
“He made a whip of cords and drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money and overthrew their tables. To those who sold the doves, he said, ‘Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will eat me up.’” — John 2:15–17
This world seems to hate God more and more. They hate a God who does not care, a God who does not show Himself, a God who gets angry all the time. Is God angry all the time?
Many people are afraid of God because of this image. This is also the one most commonly used as an attack against the Catholic faith.
Whenever people mention that they like to be spiritual and not religious, I think there is a shadow of fear in an angry God.
Whenever people hear about Catholics, they equate it with people who are self-righteous. Those people who get angry at others all the time, calling to mind their sin and condemning the unbeliever to hell.
But I sometimes wonder whether I’d like the extreme opposite of this to be true.
Would I like to have a God who never gets angry? A God who smiles all the time, meek as a lamb, laughing with children, gentle and unable to even raise His voice?
This would be a God who wouldn’t scold you even if you’re caught doing something bad. He won’t punish you or discipline you. He won’t show any kind of aversion towards what is obviously evil.
This God would treat all your actions, good or bad as something tolerable. He wouldn’t create Laws to establish order. He’d allow people to do as they wish.
Even if some people eventually harms you or your loved ones, He’d remain calm and gentle. You wouldn’t see Him getting angry at them at all.
Well I don’t know about other people, but this kind of God seems to frighten me more!
I’m just grateful God is also capable of anger. Righteous anger.
He is a God who establishes Laws for our sake, Laws that show us the consequences of choosing evil.
He is a God who can raise His voice when needed, reminding us and warning us of the things we’re doing wrong.
He is a God who can protect me from those who may desire to hurt me and my loved ones. Yes, I can count on Him to defend me and to be angry at those who seek to do me harm!
I will not see Jesus smiling and tolerating sin. I will not be disheartened because even if evil triumphs for a short time, God will establish true justice in the end.
Yes, I find comfort in God’s anger. I am consoled because God’s anger is also an expression of God’s love. Love for goodness, justice and holiness. Love for those who do good. And even love for those who do evil. Why so? Because you’re not loving the wicked if you do not show them what is good.
God is good all the time, but that doesn’t mean He never gets angry.
Sometimes we need His anger. We need a God who can be a warrior and a king, fighting with us in our battle against evil.
“At different times in my life I’ve enjoyed the old pictures of Jesus cradling cute lambs or walking around with blow-dried hair, clad in a white robe looking like it just arrived from the dry cleaner. But these days, these warfare days, those old images just don’t cut it for me. I need a battlefield Jesus at my side down here in the dangerous, often messy trenches of daily life. I need Jesus the rescuer, ready to wade through the pain, death, and hell itself to find me, grasp my hand, and bring me safely through.”— Joni Eareckson-Tada, A Place of Healing
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Jocelyn Soriano is a Catholic devotional writer and poet. Aside from Medium, she also writes at I Take Off the Mask and Single Catholic Writer.