How Do We Turn Away God's Wrath?

"O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?"
Psalm 6:1-3

For some people, they have trouble seeing that God, as seen in the person of Jesus, could be wrathful. They see a disconnect between the Old Testament and the New. In truth, its the same God in the Old as it is in the New. He doesn't change.

What does this mean? It means that God is still just and he still gets filled with anger and he has a cup of wrath that will be poured out on all evil-doers. But, He is also a God whose long-suffering mercies endure forever. He is a forgiving God. We see that clearly in Jesus.

Why does God store up his wrath? Because He is just. When we sin against Him, we are sinning against a God that demands justice. There is only one way to turn away his wrath. What is it? It's through repentance.

Repentance can only come from humble hearts. We come to the Lord humbly like the Psalmist does here and say Lord, I and languishing. I need you to heal me. And God, who is faithful, will heal us and save us from our sins.

If we do not seek his forgiveness and love, we are stuck in our sins and still under His wrath. Seeking God's grace is the only answer for our predicament.

The Psalmist in our passage today is not trying to avoid any discipline. He knows he has done wrong. He's not seeking to get off without any discipline, he's asking for God to lessen the severity of that discipline. We know from Hebrews that God will discipline the ones he loves. In order to receive the love of God, we must also desire his discipline.

Prayer - Father, we ask that you would see us through the lens of grace. Give us mercy, Lord. We want you to discipline us. Teach us your ways, but not from a place of wrath, but from a place of love and grace. We repent and put our trust in you. Help us Lord to follow you today. Amen.