Hands-On Faith for Families – Week of May 15, 2023
Theme: Be Honest with God
God Is Slow to Anger
Scripture: But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15 ESV)
Play: Ask your children if 30 seconds is fast or slow? Slow. Have everyone stand on one leg for 30 seconds. See how high you can count or how many letters you can say in 30 seconds. Watch a clock’s second hand tick for 30 seconds. Try many different activities in the same time frame.
Talk: When things don’t go your way, do you get angry? Anger usually happens fast, but Psalm 86:15 reminds us that God is full of love and slow to anger. We need to be more like Him. If you feel yourself getting angry, wait for 30 seconds. Stop and think about what is happening. Repeat Psalm 86:15. By waiting 30 seconds, we can slow down our anger. Then we will be better able to follow Ephesians 4:26, which warns us not to let our anger lead to sin. How has your anger led to sin? How could you have shown God’s love instead?
Pray: Ask God to help you to slow down when you are angry and remember to love others instead of responding in anger.
— Amy Fritsche and Sarah Kohrs
Copyright © 2014 by Focus on the Family. www.focusonthefamily.com
