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Psalm 30.5 (NIV)
For his anger lasts only a
moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime . . . weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
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| [God’s discipline] . . . is temporary and its purpose is not punitive but restorative.* |
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What
a beautiful description of God’s love and how we should view his discipline. I can almost hear God saying, “It takes a lot to
make me mad but . . .” Thankfully, he defers punishment to give us time to repent,
allowing time for our conscience to convict us. But God does get angry.
“What
a mercy,” says one commentator, that the Lord’s wrath doesn’t “smoke . . . for
a long season.”* How
blessed we are that “his long-term mercy . . . far outweighs any short-term wrath.”* And
what a relief it is that our weeping remains only for the night, like a hotel
guest who checks out in the morning!
While
a night of crying myself to sleep does not always end with a dawn of rejoicing,
morning at least brings relief and restored hope. The night is over and a new
day full of opportunities awaits. I am always hopeful that the day will reveal
solutions. If nothing else, busyness, time, and distance remove me from the
pain. And the promise of this verse is fulfilled: things will get better.
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| We must rejoice in God when we have nothing else to rejoice in, and cleave to him . . . though we cannot . . . find comfort in him.* |
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