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He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly. (Proverbs 14:29, NKJV)

Anger is a God-given emotion so it must serve an important, legitimate, good purpose -- right? Well ... yes, but it does not seem to be one of those "holy" things, does it?

Our Creator God created in us the capacity for anger. He Himself gets angry at times as we see in Exodus 4:14, Numbers 11:1, Joshua 7:1, 2 Samuel 6:7, Mark 3:5, and many others. When Jesus surveyed the merchants in the Temple, who were routinely cheating their customers with dishonest scales, He was angry. Jesus drove out the cattle and overturned the tables of the moneychangers (John 2:14-17). Since God becomes angry at certain things, then it is a "holy" thing. Since God gave anger to human beings, all created in His image, then for us it can be a "holy" thing as well.

Having said that, why do we normally associate anger with something very bad? Consider that there are two types of anger: righteous anger and sinful anger. Righteous anger is a godly response to an unrighteous event -- as God becomes angry over the stubborn sin of His people, we should be angry regarding sin in our own life or in the lives of those around us. Sinful anger is an unrighteous response to an event -- perhaps you do not get the job or the promotion you wanted, or maybe someone did not notice you in a group of people, or maybe you just do not feel well. Righteous anger is holy while sinful anger is always wrong. For example, do you become more angry about stubbing your toe in a dark room than you do hearing the news that some stranger has been murdered in your community? For which of these two events should you experience righteous anger? And in which of these two events do you normally experience sinful anger?

Also, consider that anger is an emotional response to some event. You do not just "get angry" all of a sudden. It is always your response to an event or your thoughts regarding an event. Sinful anger leads you to scream, curse, punch, and all manner of evil actions. Sinful anger is even the source of murder as our LORD Jesus said:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. (Matthew 5:21-22, NKJV)

This is why the Proverb today tells us that one who is "slow to wrath has great understanding". The emotion of anger, when it is righteous anger, gives us great energy to devote to problem-solving. Being slow to become angry:

Gives you time to consider whether it is righteous or sinful anger.
Gives you time to choose your words carefully.
Gives you time to plan the most appropriate course of action to resolve the issue.

On the other hand, "he who is impulsive exalts folly." The fact that each of us has a sin nature or fallen nature means that we must take great care when it comes to the destructive force of anger. We tend to become angry over the wrong things (sinful anger) as well as reacting in sinful ways to that which makes us angry. Rather than slowly evaluate why we are angry and what godly thing to do about it, we are impulsive -- reacting immediately with the full force of the emotion. The Bible calls this "folly." In fact, even if we experience righteous anger we can react to it in sinful ways. I can be righteously angry about someone's sin but use the full force of my anger to verbally abuse that person.

OK, you ask, "how do I avoid sinful anger and ungodly reactions?" Here are some specific suggestions that will help you tame your anger:

Make a list today of the types of things that make you angry. Do these things make God angry? If not, then ask His help to understand why you should not become angry over these things. As the situations appear in your life, go back to this place of asking God to help you understand that you should not become angry over such matters.
As you study the Bible, take note of the things that make God angry. Do these things make you angry? If not, then ask His help in aligning your judgment with His righteous judgments.
Make a commitment to pray immediately whenever you feel that you are getting angry -- and it may flare up in a very brief moment. Ask for God's guidance and the self-control available to you through the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

Remember, God is faithful to help His children whenever they ask for such noble things. Anger, like any emotion, is a tool that you can use in godly ways to accomplish godly goals. But take care, as our Proverb today suggest, that you train yourself to be "slow to wrath."