“ ‘ “ For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer. “ For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. . .” ‘ ” Isaiah 54: 7-9, NKJV.
Once again we look to You, dear God and Father, for mercy. Please give us eyes that see, and hearts that understand, and can respond, to Your mercy that “endures forever.” In the holy name of Jesus, the Christ, we pray, Amen.
Yesterday we looked at verse 8 of our Scripture, and we compared God’s mercies with His wrath. What a joy it was to discover that there is really no comparison! His mercy will be there long after His wrath is past! Yes, my friends, let us never forget that His mercy outlasts His wrath.
Let me just take a moment to address a concern that I believe some people might be having at this time. Perhaps some are wrestling with the thought that if we make too much of God’s mercy, some individuals will believe that they can do whatever they want; live however they choose, because God’s mercies will always be there. That is not the criterion behind these devotionals. However, if I were to err, I would rather err on a premise that gives people hope, than one that leaves them hopeless. I have learned, and am convinced, that the Holy Spirit of God is the only One who can bring conviction to people. Therefore, each devotional begins with a prayer that we might have divine help in understanding God’s Word as we study. My sincere prayer, is that this will be our experience.
As we continue with our study for today, we will be looking at verse 7, ” ‘ “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.” ‘ “ Here again we find the comparison between God’s wrath, and God’s mercies. His forsaking is for a “mere moment[,]” but His mercies are great. Let us re-visit the dictionary to search for any intricacies that may be embedded in these words.
Let us begin with the phrase “mere moment[:]” The word mere is an adjective which means: “Being nothing more than what is specified[.]” “Small; slight[.]” Moment is a noun that implies A brief, indefinite interval of time” (The Free Dictionary, by Farlex). His forsaking is so small, and so slight, and so brief, that it can hardly be felt. But for the person who feels forsaken by God, there is nothing slight, or small, or brief, about the experience. That is because we dwell in quite a different sphere from that of God. And the only way contact can be made between God and us, is for God to descend to our sphere, “For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘ “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” ‘ ” (Isaiah 57: 15). Emphasis provided. He will be with us, when our spirit needs reviving!
God is not too high that He cannot come down to earth and be with you and me in our time of trouble. Sometimes our tears may prevent us from seeing Him, but that does not mean He is not there. God the Son, was “in the fire” with the three Hebrew young men (Daniel 3: 23, 24). He also stood at the right hand of the Father, and rolled back the clouds, so that His servant Stephen could see Him – and receive the courage He needed – to die as the first Christian martyr (Acts 7: 55, 56). Even the Son felt abandoned by His Father (Mathew 27: 46). Yet God the Father, was there at the cross, hidden from human eyes, accompanying His Son (The Desire of Ages, pg. 665).
Our five senses have been ruined by sin. Oftentimes we see wrong as right, and right as wrong. We rejoice in what should cause us sorrow, and we sorrow over the things that should bring us joy. We are in a great need of internal readjusting. We have become an instant generation. We want what we want, and we want it now! But God dwells in eternity, and is not subject to the hustle and bustle that human beings have created. God does not have to hurry. Time is at His command, and under His control. So even when we do not know what God is doing, and what is taking Him so long, remember, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3: 8b, 9). My mentor used to tell me, “God may not come when you want Him to, but He is always on time.”
“[B]ut with great mercies I will gather you.” Praise God, there is nothing small, or slight, or brief, about His mercy! It is great and plentiful! Notice how mercy is in the plural, mercies. That is because, “they are new every morning[!]” (Lamentations 3: 23a).
His mercy will outdo, and outlast, His wrath, every time!
We will continue.