October 12: A lifetime of favor

I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.  (Psalm 30:1-5 — New Living Translation)

We live in a world that is under a curse, that is in rebellion against God. Jesus even called Satan the prince of this world. So it’s no wonder that trouble is everywhere, that disease and sickness attack us, that weeping and pain are everywhere. But this passage of scripture is a cry of triumph. David exclaims, “I will exalt you, Lord”, because He had healed him from what seems to have been a deadly disease. The weeping of a night had been transformed into rejoicing in the morning.

This victorious experience of David is no isolated example. Millions of God's people who lived in the past, and others who are alive today, could say the same thing. These words may even sound like they were written for you — about your own experience with God. Throughout the Bible we read about people who were lifted out of pits, and who were delivered from their enemies. This happens not just once in a Christian's life, but as many times as we find ourselves in deep trouble or threatened with death.

Don't give up hope, and don't let your faith weaken! No matter what is happening to you now, faith in the Lord Jesus will enable you to triumph. The dark cloud is going to lift — the night of weeping will pass — you will see the salvation of the Lord. Your enemies — seen or unseen — will be defeated. God will not let them gloat over you. If you belong to Jesus, you are God's child!

Don’t believe the lie that God’s anger lasts forever. David states a truth that many of us would do well to take to heart. He says that His anger lasts a moment… Not days, months, or years, but a moment. His favor lasts a lifetime and His anger a moment. Unfortunately many people turn this verse around and live their lives thinking that God is constantly angry at them. I have seen men and women in their 60s and 70s who have thought that God was angry with them their entire lives! What a waste. So much unnecessary guilt. — Take God’s word for it. When you make a mistake. Repent, ask for forgiveness, change… and then decide He is no longer angry at you and that His favor has now kicked in.