www.nextwaveonline.com
Daily Recharge
Mal Fletcher
God's Not Angry With You
26 April 2024
Isaiah 54:9-10 '"Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth and destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my anger on you. For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the LORD, who has mercy on you.' (NLT)
The night was chilly and the streets around our house were empty. My parents had taken a keen interest in a troubled young man who'd started attending our church. He'd grown up without ever knowing a real home life and had drifted from one problem situation to another, finally turning to alcohol for an escape. For a while, he'd really started to see his life turn around, thanks to the love of God and the support of people like my parents. Recently, though, he'd begun to fall back into his old ways and now he was standing on the pavement, screaming obscenities and waving a knife in my face. At times like that, I'm thankful that God gives us courage that we wouldn't normally have. I was able to convince him to put the weapon away and I called him a cab home. Being on the receiving end of somebody else's anger can be a frightening thing. Imagine, though, what it must feel like to stand before God when he's angry with you! According to the Bible, that is what will happen to people who refuse to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for them on the cross. God has no desire that people remain under his anger, but unless we accept that Jesus took that place for us, we're destined to remain there. But look at this promise in Isaiah: it's a pledge God has made to every person who puts their faith in him. We don't need to fear his anger any more because now, through what Jesus did, we have a covenant of peace with God. In Isaiah 53, the chapter that precedes this promise, we read the graphic description of how much Jesus went through for us. It was because the Messiah suffered in this way that God can now make us this promise. Even if the world seems to be falling apart around our ears -- so that the mountains and hills themselves seem to be crashing down -- God's covenant of peace will stand firm. Even when all the world is hostile to us, we will find that God's kindness still touches us and fills our lives with joy. The world might turn cruel, but God will remain kind to us no matter way. If you've placed your faith in Christ, God's not angry with you any more. God has given you his word: for you, there's no more anger, just his kindness. Armed with that, you can be courageous no matter what life hurls at you.
Prayer: 'Jesus, thank you for taking on the cross for my sake. Thank you for enduring the outcome of God's righteous anger at my rebellion. Thank you that I can face anything life throws at me in the knowledge that God's not angry with me anymore.'
© Mal Fletcher 2003-2004
www.nextwaveonline.com