Nahum 1:3 – “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.”
Uncertainty fills the air for many. Confusion is a constant companion for those not anchored in God. Yet sureties and certainties remain. God is love and loves continuously.
As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was confronted with realities that were both challenging, comforting, and frightening. God IS! That reality embodies all of those. Nahum 1:3 reminds us that God, our God, the creator of all things, is slow to anger but great in power.
Some confuse God’s patience and long-suffering with acceptance of their debauchery and vileness. The fact that He has not crushed them like bugs gives them a false sense of security and a false sense of acceptance. How tragic! God hates judgment but is righteous and holy, making it impossible to ignore sin and rebellion.
The prophet Habakkuk asked, “How long, LORD, must I cry for help? But You do not listen!” (Habakkuk 1:2). He lamented, “Why do You force me to witness injustice? Why do You put up with wrongdoing?” (v 3). The Law seems powerless, justice abandoned and perverted. God responded (v 5), “I will do something in your lifetime that you will not believe, even though you are forewarned.” Pay Day Someday!
Zephaniah, the prophet, brought it into perspective with a warning, “I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin, those who think to themselves, The LORD neither rewards nor punishes.” Because God has not judged their indulgent sin and rebellion, they think they are okay. Tragic!
Those who perpetually follow their flesh find themselves in the condition Haggai revealed (Haggai 1:6): “You planted much, but you have harvested little. You eat but are never filled. You drink, but you are still thirsty. You put on clothes but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.” Rebellion produces emptiness and rejection, leading to judgment.
Jesus desires that all be saved. God desires obedience, not sacrifice. The Father loves us so much that He allowed Jesus to pay our penalty. However, we must accept that Grace Gift in repentance and pursue righteousness! He calls us to purity.
If we live lives that continually violate His precepts, we must not think that, because of His long-suffering, He ignores our sin or accepts us. Jesus is the only entrance into God’s presence! Jesus in the heart rejects sin!
“If we confess (recognize, repent, and reject) our SINS, He is faithful (merciful) and righteous, forgiving us our SINS and cleansing us from ALL unrighteousness.”
LORD, help us to recognize Your sacrifice, repent of our rebellion, and receive Your transformational mercy. Help us reject the enticement to become intoxicated with the world and flesh and be saturated with You through the Holy Spirit.
Deception destroys, and God cannot and will not violate His holiness and tarnish the work of the Cross by ignoring sin. NOW is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation.
LORD, I pray for No Confusion!
