One Man’s Fury

Before I met my wife, she had moved to Michigan from Connecticut after being hired as a third-grade teacher at our church’s Christian school. Metro Detroit is famous for two things: endless road construction and aggressive drivers. She wasn’t used to either.

One day she was trying to find a Verizon store when she missed a turn and had to quickly work her way across traffic to turn around. In the process, she accidentally cut someone off and got an angry blast of the horn. New town. New roads. Honest mistake.

While she was inside the store, the front door suddenly flew open. A huge, muscular man stormed in, pointed at her, and shouted, “Hey! You cut me off! You almost hit me!” He marched toward her in a rage.

My wife apologized and explained she was new to the area and simply got confused. He didn’t care. “You’re lucky you’re a woman!” he barked.

Then her Irish side surfaced.

“Didn’t you see my Connecticut plates? You followed me all the way here for that?”

Eventually, he stormed back out.

When she told me that story after we started dating, my blood boiled. She wasn’t even my wife yet, but she was a young woman alone in a strange city, being threatened by a bully over a traffic mistake. What bothered me almost as much was that no one in the store stepped in. Everyone just watched. I don’t know exactly what I would have done if I’d been there—but I know I wouldn’t have done nothing. I don’t even know this man or what he looks like, but I’ll be honest…his kneecaps were juicy targets in my mind for quite a while. 

When Jesus entered the temple, He found God’s house turned into a marketplace. Greed had replaced reverence. Worship had been overshadowed by profit. So He braided a whip and drove the money changers out. This wasn’t uncontrolled anger. It was righteous indignation. He wasn’t terrorizing the innocent over a minor traffic offense. He was defending the honor of His Father.

When Goliath mocked the living God, everyone in King Saul’s army shook at the knees. Then David the shepherd kid showed up and got his own Irish up. “Is there not a cause to go over there and shut him up? He’s mocking our God!” 

Then he went and did it…and that story is still told today.

Our world doesn’t need more reckless rage. It needs more holy courage. May God raise up believers who still burn with love for His truth, His holiness, and His name—and who are willing to stand for what’s right when everyone else stands silent. Please pray with me today that COURAGE will sweep through the hearts of Gods people.