by Calven Celliers
Have you ever felt like God is mad at you? Have you ever thought this is it, after what I have just done there is no way God will ever forgive me? Have you made promise after promise to do better? Have you told God this is the last time I’m doing this only to fall back into the same sin you vowed you would never commit again? If this is you, then welcome to the club. As crazy as it sounds your situation is not unique, there are many of us in this ‘club’ who have felt this way too, because we fall into temptation and failure somewhere along the way.
I’m not exactly an early bird, in fact I very seldom see the dawning of a new day. But every now and then, especially when I’m down at the coast, I make a concerted effort to get up early and watch the sunrise. In March I was truly blessed to go and spend 3 days at the most beautiful beachfront B&B in Salt Rock on the Kwazulu Natal North Coast. Each morning I would get up early, literally before the crack of dawn, make myself a cup of coffee and then go out onto the balcony of my room and watch the sun come up over the sea. It was glorious to say the least.
One morning, as I was watching the sunrise, I identified so with King David in what must surely be his most famous confession – Psalm 51 – where he says to the Lord “for I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” and I sensed the Holy Spirit reaching out to me in my despair and nudging me to read Lamentations 3.
Not only did I sense Him telling me to read Lamentations 3, I sensed Him saying I should stand up and declare it out loud. So that’s what I did. As I watched the sun rising up over the horizon I declared
“20 I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![b]
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.”
(Lamentations 3: 20 – 25NLT)
In every sunrise there is something that you should remember. God has a new supply of love and mercy ready to shower on you. In the dawning of each new day God has a fresh reservoir of love ready to pour out on you. Think of it like this. New day, new love. New day, new grace. New day, new mercy. New day, new faithfulness. It never runs out. Every new day is another opportunity for God to show you again and again how much He truly loves you. Notice it didn’t say God’s anger is new every morning, it is quite the opposite.
Notice what King David says in Psalm 103:
“8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.”
(Psalm 103: 8 – 14NLT)
We often make the mistake of treating God’s anger like God’s love and God’s love like God’s anger. What I mean is that we tend to think God’s love is fleeting but His anger lasts. That is not true! Even if God is angry over your sin, the Word tells us that he will not remain angry forever. But His love, favour, and faithfulness towards you will last a lifetime.
So the next time you see a sunrise, may it remind you that God is not mad at you, His mercies begin afresh each morning, and He loves you very much.
Have a truly blessed day,
Calven
Absolutely! I realish each sunrise in its full meaning- a new slate, gifted by our loving father. Xxx
He loves you too Calven, so much, just in case you are in any doubt.