Anger, Justice and Psalms of Judgment | The Branch

“Cast your anger upon the Lord. Like bring it to him because if not, it’s going to consume you.” — Pastor Anthony Lombardi

In this episode of The Branch Podcast, Pastor Anthony Lombardi sits down with Pastor Matthew Johnson and Pastor Chris Reed to talk about a part of Scripture that many believers quietly struggle with.

There are psalms in the Bible where the writers ask God to bring judgment on their enemies. They ask Him to stop evil. Sometimes they even use shocking language. For Christians who follow Jesus and His command to love our enemies, these prayers can feel confusing.

Why would those kinds of prayers be in the Bible?

The Pastors explain that these psalms were written out of real pain. The people of Israel had experienced exile, violence, injustice, and loss. In Psalm 137, for example, the language is raw and intense. It comes from deep suffering. It is not polished or filtered.

That is part of the point.

These prayers show us what it looks like to bring unfiltered emotion to God.

A central question in the conversation is whether righteous anger is even possible for us.
The Bible says the anger of man does not produce the righteous life that God desires. That verse alone creates tension. We know there are things in this world that should make us angry. Abuse, violence, injustice, betrayal. These things are wrong.

So is anger itself wrong?

The Pastors make an important distinction. Anger is an emotion. It is not automatically sin. But anger mixed with our sinful nature can quickly lead us somewhere unhealthy. What may begin as a right desire for justice can become bitterness, revenge, or self righteousness.

That is why Scripture tells us to leave vengeance to the Lord.

When we take justice into our own hands, we place ourselves in the seat of judge. We decide who deserves mercy and who deserves punishment. And as Pastor Anthony reflects, when we judge others, we often give ourselves grace while demanding destruction for them.

We excuse our failures. We justify our motives. But we assume the worst about others.

That tension is exposed in the psalms.

“The anger of man does not produce the righteous life that God desires.” — Pastor Matthew Johnson

One of the most powerful insights from the episode is this. The psalms give us permission to be honest with God.

God already knows what is in our hearts. He sees the anger. He sees the hurt. He sees the ugly thoughts we would never say out loud. Pretending they are not there does not make us more spiritual.

Pastor Chris makes a striking point. God would rather hear us say, “I want my enemy to die,” than hide that thought behind a religious mask.

Why?

Because honesty opens the door for transformation.

When we bring our anger to God, we are not endorsing it. We are surrendering it. We are saying, “I cannot carry this. I need You to deal with it.”

If we do not bring it to Him, it will consume us.

The conversation also centers on the cross of Christ.

If we talk about justice, we must talk about the cross. The justice we deserved was placed on Jesus. God did not sweep sin under the rug. He dealt with it fully and completely.

That changes how we pray.

Yes, we can ask God to stop evil. Yes, we can ask Him to bring justice. But we must also remember that we stand forgiven only because Christ took our place.

We were not the innocent party before God. We were sinners in need of grace.

That reality softens the heart.

It creates space for mercy.

Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies. That does not mean ignoring evil. It does not mean pretending injustice does not matter.

It means refusing to become the judge.
The psalms model something different from revenge. They show people crying out to God, trusting Him to act. They express deep emotion while still acknowledging that God is the only righteous judge.

That is the difference.

Revenge says, “I will make this right.”

Faith says, “God, You must make this right.”

In Revelation 6, even the martyrs cry out for God to bring justice. The longing for justice is not wrong. The question is who we trust to carry it out.

“God would much rather you say, ‘Hey God, I want my enemy to die right now,’ than to think that but then to put on a mask and never acknowledge it.” — Pastor Chris Reed

Pastor Matthew shares openly about how his own heart has changed over the years.
There was a time when he could easily cut people off. If someone hurt him, he compartmentalized it and moved on. But over time, a growing awareness of his own brokenness changed him.

It was not maturity in the sense of achievement. It was humility.

The more he understood how much grace he needed, the more difficult it became to withhold grace from others.

That shift did not happen overnight. It came through prayer. It came through wrestling with anger. It came through honest conversations with God.

In one season, he felt led to pray for someone who had actively tried to damage his reputation. At first, those prayers were not sincere. He did not want God to bless that person.

But over time, something changed.

His heart softened.

What began as obedience became genuine love.

That is what happens when anger is surrendered instead of suppressed.

Pastor Chris highlights another important truth. The gospel is not only for the oppressed. It is also for the oppressor.

That can be hard to accept.

When someone has done real harm, our instinct is to want justice without mercy. But the gospel tells us that Christ died for sinners. All sinners.

The one who has been wronged needs healing and restoration. The one who has done the wrong needs repentance and freedom.

Both need grace.

This does not erase consequences. It does not deny justice. But it reminds us that redemption is always possible.

If there is no space in our hearts for someone’s redemption, we need to ask God to work on us.

The episode closes with a practical reminder. We are not meant to process anger alone.
Christian community matters.

Yes, we must take our burdens to God. But we also need wise believers who can help us see clearly. In a culture where people often affirm every emotion without question, we need friends who will gently point us toward Jesus.

A true friend does not simply validate rage. A true friend helps guide the heart back to truth.

The psalms themselves were communal prayers. They were sung together. They reminded God’s people that they were not alone in their suffering.

Community guards us from isolation. Isolation can distort perspective. It can magnify anger. It can make revenge feel justified.

But walking with others keeps us grounded.

“If there’s no space in your prayer life for someone that God’s redemption of that situation or of that person is possible, I think you got some hard work to do with God.” — Pastor Chris Reed

At its core, this conversation is about trust.

There are moments when life does not make sense. When injustice seems to win. When evil appears unchecked.

The psalms teach us to cry out.

They teach us that faith is not pretending everything is fine. Faith is bringing pain to God and trusting Him with it.

God will make things right.

He will either bring repentance and redemption, or He will bring final justice. That promise anchors our hope.

Until then, we pray honestly. We surrender daily. We allow the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts.

And we trust that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right.