For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30: 5 (NKJV)
Thought for Today: Mario and Giuseppe had a falling out over something relatively small. Mario had made a wonderful meal and invited Giuseppe and his family over for dinner. Being from a different region of Italy, Mario apparently had not cooked things the way that Giuseppe was used to. This resulted in Giuseppe getting very upset, telling Mario that he was a terrible cook. Mario asked Giuseppe and his family to leave. The two would not speak to each other for over 30 years.
We have all been the object at whom anger was directed. Have you ever felt God's anger? We see in other passages of Scripture that the Lord is slow to anger. Yet, He still can be angry with us over our sin. We so often think of God as not being able to be angry. Maybe He is not outwardly angry over our choices in life, but He must feel disappointment. Have you every been heartbroken watching someone that you care about, perhaps a child, making bad choices and then facing consequence that you knew would occur? Multiply that one thousand fold, and add to that knowing everything. That is what the Lord must feel when He looks at our lives and our choices that are outside of His will.
One day, Giuseppe ran into Mario at a neighborhood store. Tears formed in Giuseppe's eyes as he told Mario how much he had missed him and his family. Giuseppe apologized for his harsh words and Mario apologized for asking his family to leave. Now, the two families regularly dine at each other's houses, enjoying different dishes from both regions of Italy.
Sometimes, it takes a long time to turn to the Lord in repentance. But, when we do, His anger fades, our weeping subsides and we have joy basking in His favor. Do you need to repent today of a bad choice that has led you astray, outside of our Lord's favor? If so, I would urge you to do so now, lay your sin at the Father's feet so that you may again know the joy of His love and favor.
