September 12

Morning

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies. — Nah 1:2 BSB

Your Lord is deeply jealous for your love, believer. Did He choose you? Then He cannot bear the thought of you choosing another. Did He purchase you with His blood? Then He cannot endure that you would think of yourself as your own, or that you belong to this world. He loved you with such passion that He couldn’t stay in heaven without you. He would rather die than see you perish. He cannot tolerate anything standing between your love and Himself.

He is also jealous of your trust. He won’t allow you to rely on human strength. He cannot stand it when you seek out broken cisterns, when the fountain of living water is always available to you. He rejoices when you lean on Him, but He is displeased when you shift your dependence elsewhere—whether it’s on your own wisdom, the advice of a friend, or worst of all, on your own works. When this happens, He will discipline you to draw you back to Himself.

He is also jealous of your companionship. There should be no one you spend more time with than Him. True love means abiding in Him alone. But when you find comfort in the world, or when you seek out others—even fellow Christians—for solace, instead of spending time alone with Him, this grieves your jealous Lord. He desires that you abide in Him and enjoy constant fellowship with Him. Many of the trials He allows are meant to draw your heart away from the world and closer to Himself. Let this jealousy, which seeks to keep you near Christ, be a comfort to you. If He loves you so much that He cares about your love for Him, you can be sure He will allow nothing to harm you. He will protect you from all your enemies. May we have the grace today to keep our hearts faithfully devoted to Him alone, with a holy jealousy guarding us against the world’s temptations!

Evening

I will sing of Your loving devotion and justice. — Ps 101:1 BSB

Faith finds victory in trial. When reason is locked away in the inner prison, with her feet shackled, faith fills the dungeon with joyful songs as she declares, “I will sing of mercy and judgment. To You, O Lord, I will sing.” Faith removes the dark mask from trouble’s face and reveals the angel behind it. Faith looks at the storm clouds and sees that they are “big with mercy and shall break in blessings on her head.”

There is reason to rejoice, even in God’s judgments toward us. First, the trial is not as heavy as it could have been. Second, the suffering is not as severe as we deserve. Third, our affliction is not as crushing as the burdens others carry. Faith recognizes that even in the worst sorrow, there is no punishment—there’s not a drop of God’s wrath in it; it is all sent in love. Faith sees love shining like a jewel on the chest of a seemingly angry God. Faith says of her suffering, “This is an honor, for the child must feel the rod.” Then she sings about the sweet outcome of her sorrows because they work for her spiritual good. “Even more,” says Faith, “these light afflictions, which last but a moment, are producing for me a far greater and eternal weight of glory!” So Faith rides out on the black horse, conquering all before her, trampling down human reasoning and earthly senses, and singing songs of victory even in the midst of the fiercest battle!