“You will say in that day: ‘I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.’” (Isaiah 12:1)
The prophet Isaiah really gets to the point, doesn’t he? Right to the heart of everything the Lord God says to His people, and how He acts in their lives. Again and again in the books of Holy Scripture, almighty God is exasperated with His people, angry to the point of destruction, only to be turned at the last moment by a plea for mercy. Abraham does it, so does Moses. The prophets do it over and over again, too. There is a good track record throughout history of God taming His wrath in the face of repentance and offering comfort and peace. The pinnacle of this action though, is Golgotha and the empty tomb.
All of God’s wrath, all of His anger, all of His retribution were poured out in one tidal wave that crashed over Jesus as He hung on His Cross. Everything you’ve done to anger God, everything you’ve ever said to raise His ire, everything you’ve ever thought that offended Him, crashed into Jesus and shook the foundations of all creation. In that moment the Father’s anger turned away from you. His wrath was satisfied. Because His wrath has been turned from you, because He sees you, a baptized child, through the lens of Jesus-for-you, you can see Him as the One who is always ready to comfort you, always ready to gather you up in His everlasting arms and keep you.
You are able to “sing praises to the LORD, for He has done gloriously” for you. He has taken away your sin and replaced it with Jesus’ holiness, so that He can always look at you as His child, His beloved. He loves you more than anyone else in this world ever could.
Prayer
From God can nothing move me; He will not step aside But gently will reprove me And be my constant guide. He stretches out His hand In evening and in morning, My life with grace adorning Wherever I may stand.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
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