AELW2:118
"Their hearts were in great need of this comfort after they had been terrified by the greatness of God’s wrath, which they had observed in its rage. Because it was impossible for their faith not to be shaken by the contemplation of such great wrath, God is, as it were, constrained to shape His acts and words in such a way that their hearts look for nothing but grace and mercy. It is for this reason that He now converses with them, is present at their sacrifices, indicates that He is delighted by them, finds fault with His counsel, and promises that He will never again do anything of this kind. In sum, He now begins to be a different God from the one He has been thus far. Not that God changes, but that He desires a change in the people, who are now swallowed up, as it were, in contemplation of His wrath.
People who have gone through spiritual trials know how necessary it is to support their heart with a sure and strong comfort that will finally bring them back to the hope of grace and help them to forget the wrath. Often a single day or a single month is insufficient for this purpose; but just as the alleviation of sickness requires a long time, so these wounds of the heart are not cured at once or by a single word. Since God is aware of this, He tries in various ways to bring back the frightened hearts to a sure hope of grace."
No comments:
Post a Comment