But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:19-21).
Removing righteous anger is one of the supernatural effects of forgiveness. If we want to get rid of the anger, the solution lies in forgiveness! But what if (when we really get honest with ourselves) we don’t want to get rid of it? What if we want to stay angry?
If this is the case we need to ask the question: “Am I really feeling righteous anger?” When anger keeps us from forgiving our anger is no longer doing what it is supposed to do. Anger is designed to let us know we have been treated unjustly or when we have seen someone else treated unjustly—that someone has been wronged. When anger gets divorced from love for others, anger ceases to be righteous.
Joseph remembered the grace of God and found the strength to forgive his brothers. When anger keeps us from forgiving we need to go to the cross. Anger is a call for justice, and looking through the cross we see that God dealt with the sin of the offender decisively. We see that God the Father took that sin, that injury to us so seriously that He came on His Son in the fullness of His wrath. Justice has been done. Seeing that our anger was heard and answered by God the Father at the cross, the Holy Spirit can remove our anger.
If you have been withholding forgiveness from someone because you are angry with them, pray that God will show you how to leave your anger at the cross and make steps to give that person forgiveness.
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 