the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
John Gossner's Treasury
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. Isaiah 54:8-10.
Our gracious God speaks of His "wrath" and admits that He sometimes becomes wroth and that in His holy and righteous wrath He turns His face away even from those whom He loves and upon whom He, with everlasting kindness, has mercy. We can, however, not conceive of any passionate anger in God such as men have. In God everything, even His displeasure and disapproval of our infidelity, is pure love and wisdom. When we go astray, are unfaithful, and vex His Spirit, He turns His kind countenance from us, and a child of God feels that as keenly as if His face were changed into an expression of disfavor and wrath. God is Father, we know that; but He is no Eli. When the children do not follow the right paths, He lets them feel it immediately. Our age imagines God to be like Eli; a God who never grows angry with His children, no matter what wicked rogues they be. But the gracious God tells us something different. He who has seen Him and knows Him from experience and communion with Him, also knows that God often takes on a frowning countenance that is almost unbearable. Nevertheless, do not lose courage, though you many a time must feel the wrath of the Father. He is not angry with you in order to destroy you. His wrath shall cause you no loss: it is as beneficial as His love. His strokes benefit you more than His kisses, and He will soon turn to you again. His mercy is everlasting toward you, if you only turn back to Him and let His wrath serve to your betterment.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense.
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning Providence
He hides a smiling face.
