How much greater would the negative impact on us be if God, the Maker of heaven and earth, was angry with us? How would he show his anger toward us? Would he punish us? Maybe he would refuse to allow good things to happen in our life. Or maybe he would display the silent kind of anger and refuse to speak to us, show his goodness towards us, or give us the sense of agreement and peace. And if God really gets angry with us, would he become wrathful and even seek to harm and hurt us?
For many people, these are legitimate questions. Religion has taught us that God will get angry with us just like people can get angry with us. And when God gets really angry, it's not outlandish to think that he would even allow tragedy to happen to us.
Today, let's set the record straight! God has promised that he would never be angry with us again! Not even for one moment or second! In Isaiah chapter 54, God is predicting the coming of the New Covenant established by the death and ressurection of his Son, Jesus Christ. In this passage God makes this promise: "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies I will gather thee. 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 this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so I have sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 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 54:7-10).
The promises in this passage are outstanding and seem almost too good to be true! But that is exactly what the Gospel is----almost too good to be true news! Now notice the words in this passage. First the Father said, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee....." The history of Israel shows us that God forsook his people momentarily when they disobeyed him. But in light of the fact that God will never forsake his people again, this is merely a sliver of time in the light of eternity. Secondly, the Father said he will have "everlasting kindness" towards us and everlasting "mercy" on us. How long is everlasting? It's forever! Think of it. God will take our lifetimes and eternity to show His kindness towards us. And his mercy will never run out!
Then, God illustrates his promise that he would never again flood the earth as in the times of Noah. Likewise, he has "sworn" that he never again will be angry with us or show us his wrath. Simply taking the time to read this passage slowly will stop all the preachers and the world from blaming God whenever a natural disaster of tragedy occurs. God has promised to never be angry with us or show us his wrath!
But this passage also has personal benefits for your own life. You do not have to live under the burden of thinking that God is mad at you. God is not holding his goodness back from you because of your sins or failures. And he will never hurt or punish you. In contrast, he desires to show you his kindness for the rest of your life and beyond! He has promised that this kindness towards you will never cease and he will forever relate to you based upon the eternal covenant of his peace (verse 10). So when the "mountains shall depart and the hills be removed" remember that it is not God who is angry with you. And if God is not angry with you, then that puts everything in proper perspective.
Thought for the Day
People may get angry with you, but God will never get angry with you.
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