"The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him."
Isaiah 30:18-19 (NIV)

The verses above are from a section of Isaiah in which God was warning the Israelites of looming punishment for their sins. The warnings were stern. Those intent on ignoring the Lord would face his anger.

But that isn’t what God wanted! He didn’t want to punish. He wanted his people to repent and trust him. He wanted to forgive them and show compassion to them.

The voice of the cursed liar, the devil, and even our own sinful hearts don’t think God should forgive or that God wants to forgive. Guilt is a powerful voice that often convinces us that God is angry with us and that God prefers to punish us. Living in this sinful world, we see seeming evidence in the troubles all around us.

Isaiah’s words above remind us that God does not want to punish us. He wants to forgive! He already punished your sins when he punished Jesus on the cross. God wants to you to know the peace of that forgiveness. He wants your fears silenced and your heart renewed with an earnest desire to serve him.

By faith, see God for who he is. He is God of compassion and love who is at work in your life to bless you.

 

Pastor Aufdemberge

Pastor Kneser

Pastor Wempner

Pastor Zarling