Favor for a Lifetime
Psalm 30:5
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.
God deals with sin in His people, but His favor is much greater than His punishment. He corrects us in order to change our thinking and turn our behavior in the right direction. To cast an attitude of disapproval toward us consistently would merely drive us right back into sin. When we have fully turned to Him after having been corrected, He gladly and freely lavishes His favor upon us so we may know that every good and perfect gift is from Him, according to James 1:17.
David wrote these words, and he knew well both the anger and the favor of God. From his own experience as an adulterer and murderer, he had felt the wrath, conviction, and redemption of a loving Father. Although he had made grave mistakes in his past, David learned to trust the favor of God. While he couldn’t change his past, David changed his path by believing God had his best interest at heart and would lead him to experience good. In fact, David wrote strong words of faith to express his conviction.
Psalm 27:13
I am certain that I will see the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living.
David was certain that God was with him and would lead him to experience good. When bad things happen, it is easy to think God is punishing us or that He is against us for some reason. Any correction He gives us is clear, precise, and designed to direct us to the right path. His hand of favor is always upon us, but we must learn to trust Him and believe He is leading us to experience good and not evil. The Devil knows that if we think God is against us, we will devise our own paths to avoid His anger and take us far away from His perfect will for us.
Rest today in knowing that God’s favor is upon you. He is not angry with you or denying you something because you are not worthy. While He may correct you to lead you back to Him, His anger is not remaining against you to cause you to suffer. His anger is very short, but His favor lasts a lifetime. You may weep for a night, but in Him, you will wake to unspeakable joy! He wants you to experience His goodness in this lifetime so you will be convinced of a better life in eternity. He favors you, and He wants you to trust and experience that favor all of your life. You are blessed and not cursed; you are the head and not the tail. You are His!
Have a blessed day!