Favor for a Lifetime / David Jeremiah

Favor for a Lifetime 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   God’s anger is never self-serving or arbitrary; it is always a reflection of His righteousness. Yes, God showed anger in the Old Testament as a righteous response to the sins of His people. But that anger was always temporary, an exception to the rule of His mercy, grace, and love. Today, because God’s anger was poured out on Christ upon the cross, His displeasure is replaced by discipline (training) for His children when needed (Hebrews 12:1-13).

Recommended Reading: Lamentations 3:22-24

The psalmist highlighted the temporary nature of God’s displeasure in Psalm 30:5. While God’s anger is momentary, “His favor is for life.” Scholars note that the second line personifies weeping and sadness that visits for an evening but is gone by morning: “In the evening comes to lodge weeping, but at morning a shout of joy.”1 Psalm 30:5 is consistent with Jeremiah’s words in Lamentations 3:22-23: God’s “compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” When you know you have displeased the Lord, count on His compassion to bring you joy “in the morning.”   Only to sit and think of God, oh what a joy it is! Frederick W. Faber