“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. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:9–10
A warning is issued in 1 Peter 5:8—“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
I know that a lion roars to intimidate and to bring fear, but I used to wonder what kind of fear the devil tries to instil in the believer. We must let the Bible interpret the Bible. We can’t base our interpretations on our denominational backgrounds or our experiences.
One day, I was reading Proverbs 19 when I came across verse 12: “The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.” Who is the king that this verse refers to? It is our Lord Jesus!
So when the devil goes about like a roaring lion, he is trying to impersonate the King. He is trying to make you feel as if God is angry with you. Every time you hear preaching that leaves you with a sense that God is angry with you, guess what? You have just been roared at!
Is God furious with us?
But know this, beloved: God will NEVER be angry with you ever again. He only has to tell us this, but He wanted us to be so sure that He swore in His Word that He would never be angry with us again.
Today’s verses are from Isaiah 54, which is right after the famous messianic chapter of the sufferings of Christ in Isaiah 53. Therefore, Isaiah 54 is spelling out the triumphs and spoils of His sufferings.
Do you know why God will never be angry with us again?
It is because of what Christ has accomplished for us! On the cross, God poured out all His anger on the body of His Son. Jesus exhausted all the fiery indignation of a holy God against all our sins. When all of God’s judgment of our sins had been completely exhausted, He shouted, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).
And because our sins have already been punished, God, who is a holy and just. God will not punish us today when we believe in what Christ has done. God’s holiness is now on your side. His righteousness is now for you, not against you. You are His beloved, in whom He is well pleased because of Jesus’ finished work!
The next time the devil tries to rob you of your sense of being beloved by making you think that God is angry with you, just ignore him. Ignore him when he says, “How can you call yourself a Christian?”
You are a righteous, accepted, and beloved child of God! When you believe this, you will have the confidence to face every challenge with boldness. It will make you know that you have God’s unmerited favor on your side!
This article is a devotional from Pastor Joseph Prince of the New Creation Church, Singapore.
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