For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5 NIV
Do you ever feel like you’ve gone too far and God has withdrawn His love for you? If so, let His word encourage you today. God’s love is not contingent upon your spiritual performance. He loves you because He chooses to, that’s His nature. It has everything to do with who He is, and nothing to do with who you are. You can’t earn His love, you just get to be the recipient of it! Think about the life of David, he made some horrific mistakes, and although he had to bear the discipline of the Lord, he never lost the Lord’s love. He was always the apple of God’s eye. Who better to give us the encouragement of Psalm 30:5 than David?
David understood that God is righteous, and will always hold us accountable for our actions. Sometimes we must bear the painful consequences of our poor choices. Sin is painful, there’s just no getting around that. Yet David learned that God’s anger never outlasted His favor. If you are going through a season of pain, perhaps brought on by your own sinful choices, be encouraged. After this season of weeping, God will completely restore your joy! Just continue to seek Him, to pursue righteousness, and wait for the season of rejoicing to return.
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. Lamentations 3:22 ESV
As he laments the pain brought on by sin, Jeremiah keeps himself from becoming hopeless and overwhelmed by recalling the steadfast love of God. Read through the first part of this chapter and notice the hope he gains when he remembers God’s love and focuses on that, instead of his own suffering.
I am the one who has seen the afflictions
that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger.
He has led me into darkness,
shutting out all light.
He has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.
He has made my skin and flesh grow old.
He has broken my bones.
He has besieged and surrounded me
with anguish and distress.
He has buried me in a dark place,
like those long dead.
He has walled me in, and I cannot escape.
He has bound me in heavy chains.
And though I cry and shout,
he has shut out my prayers.
He has blocked my way with a high stone wall;
he has made my road crooked.
He has hidden like a bear or a lion,
waiting to attack me.
He has dragged me off the path and torn me in pieces,
leaving me helpless and devastated.
He has drawn his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
He shot his arrows
deep into my heart.
My own people laugh at me.
All day long they sing their mocking songs.
He has filled me with bitterness
and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink.
He has made me chew on gravel.
He has rolled me in the dust.
Peace has been stripped away,
and I have forgotten what prosperity is.
I cry out, “My splendor is gone!
Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!”
The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline:
Let them sit alone in silence
beneath the Lord’s demands.
Let them lie face down in the dust,
for there may be hope at last.
Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them
and accept the insults of their enemies.
For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow. Lamentations 3:1-33 NLT
Do you ever wonder what God is feeling when you are suffering?
In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:9 NIV
If for any reason you are going through a season of pain, know that God is for you and not against you. He has not abandoned you!
You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. Isaiah 43:4b NLT