Wrath Yields to Mercy

The pastor of a large city church was walking down the street one day with set lips and a steely look in his eye. A parishioner greeted him with the question, “How are you today, Pastor?” He waked as from a dream and said, “I am mad!” It was an unusual word for this mild-mannered Christian, but he went on to explain with deep emotion: “I found a widow standing by her goods thrown into the street. She could not pay the month’s rent. The landlord turned her out; one of her children is going to die; and that man is a member of the church! I told her to take her things back again. I am on my way to see him now!” Wrath against injustice, hypocrisy, and greed can be found throughout Scripture. But if we are to be guided by the Word of God, our wrath must always yield to mercy when the repentant sinner turns to ask forgiveness.