Does the Bible talk about managing our emotions?

from the old testament

• In Genesis 4:3-8, we see the murderous aftermath of Cain’s unmanaged anger.
• In Numbers 20:1-12, Moses’ seemingly angry outburst preceded his disobedience and lack of faith in God. In the beginning of the passage, the Israelites quarreled with Moses and Aaron about there being no water for the congregation. In verse 8, God tells Moses: "Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle." However, in verse 10, Moses tells the Israelites, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" Moses then “lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock” (verse 11). In verse 12, God does not discipline Moses because of his anger but because his lack of belief led him to anger and to misrepresenting God: “And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.’”
• In Numbers 22, God’s anger burns against the wicked prophet, Balaam (verse 22). When God sends an angel with a sword to block Balaam from cursing the Israelites, his donkey sees the angel, but he does not (verse 23). When Balaam’s donkey avoids going in the direction of the angel, he unleashes his anger by abusing her (verses 23-27). In verses 28-30, God opens the mouth of the donkey, who questions Balaam as to why he is beating her. Balaam’s anger is so irrational that instead of pulling back in shock, he converses with his donkey.
• First Samuel shows a distraught Hannah being tormented about her barrenness by her husband’s other wife, Peninnah (1 Samuel 1:2-7). Hannah eventually goes up to the temple of the Lord and weeps bitterly before Him, surrendering her desires over to God who later blesses her (1 Samuel 1:11).
• In 1 Samuel 18:7-11, King Saul allows his jealousy of David to metamorphosize into murderous attempts to kill him.
• First Kings 11:9-10 shows God’s anger with King Solomon because his “heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.”
• Job loses his family, his wealth, and his physical health (Job 1; 2:1-8). His wife tells him to "Curse God and die" (Job 2:9) and his closest friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, tell him that his trials are his own fault (4:7-9; 8:4-6; 11:5-6). Instead of bottling up his emotions, Job expresses his intense heartache (Job 3).
• The book of Psalms expresses nearly every human emotion. For instance, the book contains many imprecatory Psalms in which King David expresses intense anger (Psalms 5; 10; 109). However, verses like Psalm 34:18 remind us that the Lord is near to those of us who are brokenhearted and grieving. We can also learn more about God’s emotions, such as in Psalm 7:11, which shows God’s anger: “God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.”
• Throughout our lives, we will have seasons of emotional highs and emotional lows; we should allow ourselves to experience our God-given emotions, as joyful or as painful as they may be (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11).
• Jesus relates to our painful emotions. He was a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

from the new testament

• Jesus invites those who are emotionally drained to share their burdens with Him (Matthew 11:28-30).
• God gifts us with one another. Jesus prays for Christians to love one another (John 17).
• We can more easily handle overwhelming emotions when we remember that God works “all things” “together for good” to those of us who are “called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
• Romans 12 instructs believers to share their burdens, including emotions, with one another.
• If we are going through a time of grief in our life, we can rest assured that the “God of all comfort” is there for us (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) .
• Ephesians 4:26 encourages believers to manage power emotions like anger: "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger."
• No matter what we feel, we should resist addictions that would pull us away from God (Ephesians 5:18) and instead lean on the Lord’s strength (Ephesians 6:10-18).
• When we feel overwhelmed, we should submit to God and express our concerns to Him (Philippians 4:6-7).
• James 1:20 says, "The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." While anger is a natural emotion, we must surrender it to the Lord.
• In Revelation 21:4, we are reminded that the emotional pain we experience on this earth will end one day: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

implications for today

When we experience strong emotions in our life we should express our deepest feelings to God. He desires an intimate relationship with us. As our Father (1 John 3:1), Friend (John 15:12-17), and Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), He wants to hear our deepest and most intense emotions. He alone can carry them for us as He knows our hearts better than we do (Psalm 139:1-4; Jeremiah 17:9-10). While emotions are natural and God-given, we must manage them, so feelings (like anger) do not give way to sinful or irrational actions. We must also test our emotions before acting on them. For example, we might feel despair because we fear we have failed God, forgetting that God is merciful and willing to forgive us all our sin (1 John 1:8--9). Instead, we must bring our emotions to God in prayer, trusting Him to guide us in understanding and responding to them in a way that honors Him (James 1:5; Proverbs 3:5-8). We should seek His wisdom through Scripture, allowing His truth to reshape our perspective and ground our feelings in His promises. Additionally, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to help us discern whether our emotions align with God’s will or are influenced by sinful tendencies (Romans 6; Ephesians 5:15-18). By submitting our emotions to God, we can experience His peace, which “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Instead of letting our emotions guide our perception of truth, God can transform our minds (Romans 12:2), and we can experience the benefits that come from that. Ultimately, we must submit our emotions to God and ask Him to help us order them according to His Word and Spirit.