Psalms 81:13-16 (NIV) “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Whenever God says “no” to this or that desire or plan we have for ourselves, it is only because he is safeguarding to us a supremely desirable “yes”.
God always has his eye on seeing us full of such joy that we simply cannot contain it, and his ways for us are always the fastest time and shortest distance possible to bring us into that joy.
This is why he is so vehemently opposed to any deviations from his will. For that matter, that explains to me what his wrath is all about. His wrath is his total and settled opposition to anything that does not contribute to the fulness of joy he has in mind for us. I would want God to be exceedingly angry with anything I do that stands to interfere with all the peace and joy he wants to fill me with, wouldn’t you? God is so much on our side that — as one guy put it — his wrath is the final hope for humanity.
Consequently, when facing temptation we would do well to redirect thoughts to God’s “yes”. I need to ask, What precious reality is he seeking to fill me with that this temptation is threatening to take from me?
In the words of one writer, “The athlete says no to foods and drinks and indulgent lifestyles that would interfere with his goal because he has first said yes to the goal of winning his race.” –Kreeft
