October 28th – Good Response

Listening to the Holy Spirit:

The response to the hostile should not be one of hostility. The soul of the tortured lashes out, that it would not be wounded again. Many writhe in deep wound; internal pain without ceasing. The strike is protection, and the foul word their covering. Do not return anger for anger, for the mind of the injured cannot hear loud correction, as pain cannot be cured by the whip. A kind word penetrates armor, and a gentle spirit turns away wrath. The morning song dispels the night, and draws forth the day from those who do not rest. So gentle it may not be heard, but its presence known, marking for the restless hope of new. Be as this small song, pleasant in the darkness of those who cannot find rest for pain. Do not think it is weak for its grace, for many a fevered soul is lead to My cross through its kind whisper. Your way is not the way of the sword, but the Gospel of love that draws the largest of beasts, soothing the wounds that make them so.

Micah 6:8 (ESV) – He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Prv 15:1 (ESV) – A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Prv 25:15 (ESV) – With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.

Taking It to Work:

A cornered wolf acts deceptively similar to an outright aggressive wolf – bared teeth, wild swinging claws, loud and threatening barks or growls, and an untrained eye could easily mistake one for the other. While shouting may prompt an aggressive wolf to reconsider, flicking the nose of a cornered wolf to
teach it not to growl will result in fewer fingers, and more growling, primarily driven by fear, not aggression.

When people around us act aggressively or angrily, it may not be that they are aggressive per se, but more often than not, they feel cornered, and an equally aggressive response back, like might be our response, would just evoke more fear driven aggression.

God addresses us in this in Micah 6:8, where our command for holiness doesn’t end with “do justice”. If it did we could take an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth with a clear conscience; but God doesn’t say that’s all that’s required; we simultaneously called to “love mercy, and walk humbly with our God”.

To walk humbly with God includes submitting our own desires, reactions and reasoning to God’s commands, and here we must understand that God’s wisdom is not just a wispy claim of truth: it is infinitely practical. We
may want to shout back to the coworker that just unfairly snapped at us – that’ll teach him to respect us, right? But God’s wisdom teaches us that it’s not wrath that turns away wrath but “a gentle
answer” (Prov. 15:1).

This is not a command to be passive; you must still give an answer; but let it be gentle and merciful. Let it be seasoned with your understanding of your own frailty, your own sin and your experience with your own frustrations and fear. You may think a softer response like this won’t work, but it has God’s
stamp of approval, and when we will be walking humbly with Him.

So, the next time a coworker, boss, parent, sibling or stranger lashes out in anger towards you, fight your pure desire for justice, balance it with a humble mercy, in a gentle answer, as His Word works in you, today.