Praying Your Anger

Psalm 137 (John 2:13-17   Exodus 32:7-14) Rev. Todd B. Freeman

Bethany Presbyterian Church, Dallas                                                             September 12, 2004

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the newly formed church in Ephesus, instructs the Christians in that congregation, “Be angry, but do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).

I want to address this issue of anger today, as I did in a sermon a year ago. This time, however, I particularly want to reflect upon what part this basic human emotion can play in our spiritual lives, especially in our prayers. Let me begin with a few words on anger from a psychological standpoint.

In a series of books on pastoral counseling that I have in my study, one entire 200-page volume is devoted to, Counseling for Anger. The editor, in the preface, makes an interesting observation. “No matter what people go to see a professional counselor about – relationship issues, interpersonal conflicts, depression, grief, whatever – sooner or later the issue of anger makes its appearance. In overt or subtle forms, anger tends to be woven into most counseling.”

The American Psychological Association (APA) has a very helpful pamphlet entitled, Controlling Anger – Before It Controls You. It can be downloaded from the Internet. It begins:

We all know what anger is, and we've all felt it: whether as a fleeting annoyance or as full-fledged rage.

Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion.

Psalm 37:8 warns, “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret - it leads only to evil.” The Roman Catholic Church calls anger one of the “seven deadly sins.”

Is anger, then, wrong or sinful in and of itself? No. Note that this passage doesn’t say that anger is evil, rather that anger may be a well-worn path to sin. And no one – no matter how spiritual – is ever free from the emotion of anger.

For let us not forget that the Gospels do not shy away from revealing that Jesus exhibited anger from time to time. That is perhaps most clearly demonstrated in the story we heard this morning about Jesus getting a whip and clearing the Temple of the moneychangers.

And in the Old Testament there are numerous references to the anger and wrath of God. A good example of that is the other scripture lesson we heard this morning about God’s anger toward the Israelites for creating the golden calf while Moses was up on the mountain getting the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 32:9-10 states, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, how stiffnecked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them…” The story indicates that it is only through Moses’ interventions that, “And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on the people” (v. 14).

Anger, then, seems to be an integral part of both the human and divine experience.

If you’ve ever wondered if it is appropriate or not to express your anger to God in a prayer, you need not look any further that the book of Psalms. This book, the songbook of the ancient Hebrew people, expresses every human emotion imaginable, including anger.

Today’s primary sermon text, Psalm 137, reveals the extent of the anger the psalmist has towards his Babylonian captors. He concludes his song/prayer to God with what is perhaps the most shocking statement in scripture: “Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!”

Notice, that like the Beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, this verse is also a beatitude – following the same formula “Happy (or blessed) are those that…”

Is this level of anger, wishing the death of innocent children, justified? Should it be included in a prayer to God? To answer that we first need to take a closer look at the entire psalm itself. For this I will use as a reference a study of Psalm 137 from Interpretation Bible Studies by Jerome Creach. But even before that I need to mention that wishing for an adversary’s annihilation is not uncommon in the Psalms. In fact, it seems to be an integral part of psalmic prayer.

For instance, with no apparent qualms, Psalm 58 predicts the rejoicing of the righteous over the death of the wicked: “The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done; they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked. People will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Psalm 137 is the clearest example of this type of psalm. It contains, as we have heard, one of the angriest wishes for retribution of any psalm, and that prompts several questions: Can a psalm like this fit into the practice and theology of Christian prayer? Isn’t this psalm completely at odds with biblical visions of world peace and the teachings of Jesus? How does one deal with the inclusion of Psalm 137 in scripture?

Let’s start at the beginning of this psalm. Unlike most psalms, there is a very clear historical setting for Psalm 137. In the year 587 B.C.E. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took the leading citizens into captivity. We know this event as The Exile.

In 539 B.C.E., 48 years later, King Cyrus of Persia conquered the Babylonians and the Israelites were allowed to return to their destroyed city of Jerusalem. This psalm was most likely composed soon after their return from exile, but while they were still very angry.

While in captivity, the Israelites’ captors taunted them by insisting that they sing one of their “songs of Zion”. Since these songs declared that Zion (a reference to the city of Jerusalem) was invincible, having to sing them as a defeated people in a foreign land would have just added insult to injury.

Key to the Israelites emotional and spiritual survival was the act of remembrance. This psalm even calls for punishment for any one of themselves who fails to recall Jerusalem in all its glory. Throughout history, prisoners of war, political exiles, and refugees have endured their plight because they had strong memories (of a place, of family, of scripture) that sustained them.

This emphasis on Jerusalem is the primary key to understanding the anger with which the psalm concludes and the passion of the prayer of vengeance. The psalmist’s memory of Zion is not simple nostalgia or homesickness. Rather, the loss of Jerusalem and the Temple marked a profound theological tragedy. It was the near loss of their religious and cultural identity, and it produced a righteous anger that can only be appreciated in the context of a similar theological and spiritual devastation.

Are there acts of evil of such magnitude as to product anger that should not ebb quickly? Indeed.

Last century, for example there was the Jewish Holocaust at the hands of Hitler. In this century, and particularly for our country, the events of September 11, 2001, also seem to fit into this category.

I want you to imagine if it was one of your family members who was killed in the World Trade Center or Pentagon attacks, at the hands of al-Qaeda fundamentalists. What feelings might you have had, or still have even after three years? Do you think it is possible that these victims’ family members may have offered to God angry prayers of vengeance and retribution similar to the psalmist’s prayer? Certainly!

Anger persists in anyone’s life because something that need not have been lost was lost. The center of their world collapsed, and forgiveness was simply not an immediate option – whether in New York City or ancient Jerusalem.

Well, given the ending of Psalm 137, can this psalm serve as a model prayer for Christians in any way? When this psalm is used in the church’s liturgy, the last two horrific verses are usually left off. But despite the final lines of the psalm, the answer is yes. That is possible, however, only with the understanding that the main point of the psalm is not really vengeance, but with the memory of Zion/Jerusalem – of what once was.

We should also notice that the psalmist does not say that he will attempt to bring about retribution on his enemies. Instead, his prayer indicates that God is the one who will repay Edom and Babylon. As one scholar has said, “The problem is not really that there is anger in Psalm 137. The real problem is that there is anger in every human heart.”

What anger lies within your heart? Perhaps we should learn to pray honestly, and in our prayers give our resentments, bitterness, hatred and wishes for vengeance over to God.

Feminist theologian Beverly Harrison writes, “Feminists increasingly see that failure to express anger to God, as when we fail to express it to each other, distorts our piety and makes it a sanctimonious and brittle spirituality of denial.”

Let me end by sharing the closing paragraph from that American Psychological Association brochure.

Remember, you can't eliminate anger—and it wouldn't be a good idea if you could. In spite of all your efforts, things will happen that will cause you anger; and sometimes it will be justifiable anger. Life will be filled with frustration, pain, loss, and the unpredictable actions of others. You can't change that; but you can change the way you let such events affect you. Controlling your angry responses can keep them from making you even more unhappy in the long run.

So, be angry, but do not sin. Pray your anger. And in that regard, never hesitate from offering your own psalm to God.

An excellent example has been provided in the words of this morning’s anthem, “My Warring Heart.” We also read them together in this morning’s Confession, printed in your bulletin. I encourage you to use it as a guide in your own prayers to God, for each of you are psalmists in your own right.

Amen.

Resources:
James L. Mays, Psalms from the Interpretation biblical commentary, 1994.
Jerome F. D. Creach, Psalms from the Interpretation Bible Studies series, 1998.