who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
so teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
return, o Lord! how long?
have pity on your servants!
satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
[psalm 90:11-14]
believe it or not, the oldest psalm was written by moses–psalm 90 is familiar in it’s refrain (teach us to number our days) but oft left out is the preceding line:
“who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?”
the answer is quite clear–no one.
if we were to truly consider and comprehend the power of God’s hatred of and anger toward sin, we would be utterly undone.
God’s glory, his goodness, his greatness, his kindness and his wrath are inseparable–and we cannot comprehend them: when paul tries to comprehend the mind of God, he exclaims–
oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! [romans 11:33]
we cannot fully search out God’s ways, but we are not called to a full understanding, we are called to rest–full and content satisfaction in God:
“satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls [matthew 11:29]
some of us have an understanding of an earthly father that can scare us with his strength and power, but in the next moment tenderly embrace us in his arms: our fathers are imperfect, and they could sin in the power of their strength.
our Father God never uses his power to abuse us, in his omnipotence he could have anything, but in his goodness and love, chooses us as vessels sovereignly to glorify himself and give us unmerited eternal life by sending his own Son, Jesus to die in our place.
in his presence today:
consider the power of God’s anger–
*and*
–be satisfied in the steadfast love given to us in Jesus!
fear the power of his wrath–
*and*
–rejoice and be glad Jesus all of your days!
~ce