For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalms 30:5 (KJV)
This verse pretty effectively points to the nature of God's forgiveness. So many people go through their days feeling a nagging presence of guilt. The possible sources for guilt arise from all kinds of places and all kinds of acts - both of commission and omission. The nagging can end though. A simple act of confession/repentance is all that is needed for the wrong (i.e. God's anger) to pass away and be forgotten in a moment. Passing from guilt and shameful worry we cross a threshhold into a life surrounded by God's favor and love. Guilt may haunt us in the night but it need not impair our joy that comes in the morning.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Christian Church's observance of Lent. Lent is a period of reflection and contemplation for six weeks leading to Easter. On this day there are worship services in most churches where the call to confession and repentance are made manifest. These tend to be somber services and at their conclusion ashes are imposed upon the forehead of the all the attendees as a sign of one's repentance. I would encourage and invite you to take advantage of the more "formal" structure of confession and repentance offered through these special worship services today. They provide an intentional way to do some personal interior "house cleaning" and through the old liturgies of The Church move you back into the joy of the Lord's favor.
Prayer:
Come now, and let us (pray) together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18) Amen.
Wilt thou be angry with us forever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? -- Psalms 85:5 (KJV)
When things don’t go well in our lives we might be prone to ask, “What did I do wrong to deserve this?” The subconscious answer that rises to the surface often might be, “God must be angry with me.” Immediately we embark on an expedition searching for how God might be angry with us. Usually we can find a few things of worthy mention. The real question is, however, are our bad days caused by God being angry? Do we have a God who smites us for every little thing we wrongly do or don't do? I think not. Consequences of our wrongful actions, of course, play out; God, however, is faithful and just and forgives, forgives, forgives. The Psalmist's lead-in to this verse is filled with the praises for God's forgiveness. Just because we can't feel it at some particularly difficult moment, or want to blame God for our troubles does not make God angry with us forever.
The place to retreat to when times are hard and you're feeling life is laying into you unfairly is into a faith space. Reaffirm the rock of your faith - the ever present covenant God made with you, to love you and to send Christ to be your salvation. In verse 8 the Psalmist's answer to his question of God's anger toward us is: "He promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly." Don't go to the silly place that God hates me and has it in for me, I'm just going to go off and eat worms. Instead, affirm God's promise of peace and claim the everlasting love freely given for you and all the generations.
Prayer:
When life is a struggle O God, let me find the stalwart anchor in your Spirit. Grant us the peace, patience, and endurance to last through this time of trial and break out on the other side of it wiser and brighter and more connected than we've ever been. With Christ's help, Amen.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. --James 1:5
Having skated down a steep hill in a snow storm recently, after the car came to a sliding stop I seriously questioned my wisdom for starting down the thing in the first place. We all have mental lapses where we do or say things, which on second thought we would have been smarter not doing. Smarts are not exactly the same as wisdom however. Smarts connote personal intelligence (therefore, under one's control), whereas wisdom (sophia in Greek) connotes God-wisdom that leads to salvation or unity. So James is not saying, "If you are dumb and don't do well on tests, just pray and you'll get an A." (Surprisingly, I have known some Christians who have tried to sell this notion to me.) No, sophia - God wisdom - is a whole different kind of idea. It is a steady or constant joining into the on-going enterprise of God's creative and saving acts through Jesus Christ. The wisdom James is speaking about is a Holy Spirit kind of energy that brings God's insight and perspective to daily living. It is not a voluntary talent one exercises at will, but a gift that comes through the daily trials and long journey of walking hand-in-hand with God. The asking for God-wisdom is a multiple times a day process over the course of one's daily life. As we discipline our minds to pray and not forget God through the hours of a day we do gain a centered awareness of God's guiding influence, which we then can use for ourselves or others.
Prayer:
Greatest God, we need Thee every hour. Every hour grant us your wisdom to make the differences in life that you have aimed us to make for you. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
