In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.
God contends with his people only in measure, restraining the rough east wind of hardship from striking with its full force and saying when enough is enough. That measured dealing balances every evil with a blessing, pairing cloud with rainbow and wilderness hunger with provision and settled plenty, so that rarely do two afflictions or trials press at the same time. For this reason promises of the new covenant were given in seasons of depression at the fall of Adam, the separation of Abraham, the bondage of Israel, the giving of the law by Moses, and the Babylonian captivity, making all human life a lived example of this measured mercy.
This restraint flows from a character of pity, love, wisdom and goodness, for in all his dealings God is love, he does not delight in suffering, sorrow and pain, he cannot be unkind and cannot err, and even severe chastening is governed by his care for the erring child. The winds of trial sweep away what is temporary like chaff while preserving what will last like wheat. Affliction is permitted in infinite wisdom and love for a wise purpose, looking from the beginning to the end to shape each experience for eternal destiny rather than present convenience, to work every experience together for good, and to purify dross from character through the furnace of affliction so that his children are fitted to show forth his praise forever.
God is a refuge that never fails and is open to all, making hardship mild for the weak who seek him, so that no defenseless one who comes to him fails to find relief, sheltering the newly shorn lamb from the harsh wind. That same tempering care is seen in the way habit can ease even heavy burdens. The verse belongs to prophecies of the earth's destruction and desolation because of sin and the deliverance of God's children. The verse also assures that God restrains the storm of human anger even as trouble grows, holding back its full force until the appointed time, so present unrest can intensify without bringing events to their final crisis prematurely.
Because no one is so unhappy in outward circumstances that his condition could not be made worse, and God holds back harsher distress in the time of hard trouble, that restraint is a blessing calling for thankfulness for little remaining mercies in the midst of great sorrows rather than fretting the hours away and consuming the heart with self-pity. Because what seems against his children is permitted to accomplish his purpose for their lives, they can trust him where they cannot see and cast every sorrow upon him, assured that the meaning will be made plain sometime, if not now then in the world to come.
God contends with his people only in measure, restraining the rough east wind of hardship from striking with its full force and saying when enough is enough. That measured dealing balances every evil with a blessing, pairing cloud with rainbow and wilderness hunger with provision and settled plenty, so that rarely do two afflictions or trials press at the same time. For this reason promises of the new covenant were given in seasons of depression at the fall of Adam, the separation of Abraham, the bondage of Israel, the giving of the law by Moses, and the Babylonian captivity, making all human life a lived example of this measured mercy.
This restraint flows from a character of pity, love, wisdom and goodness, for in all his dealings God is love, he does not delight in suffering, sorrow and pain, he cannot be unkind and cannot err, and even severe chastening is governed by his care for the erring child. The winds of trial sweep away what is temporary like chaff while preserving what will last like wheat. Affliction is permitted in infinite wisdom and love for a wise purpose, looking from the beginning to the end to shape each experience for eternal destiny rather than present convenience, to work every experience together for good, and to purify dross from character through the furnace of affliction so that his children are fitted to show forth his praise forever.
God is a refuge that never fails and is open to all, making hardship mild for the weak who seek him, so that no defenseless one who comes to him fails to find relief, sheltering the newly shorn lamb from the harsh wind. That same tempering care is seen in the way habit can ease even heavy burdens. The verse belongs to prophecies of the earth's destruction and desolation because of sin and the deliverance of God's children. The verse also assures that God restrains the storm of human anger even as trouble grows, holding back its full force until the appointed time, so present unrest can intensify without bringing events to their final crisis prematurely.
Because no one is so unhappy in outward circumstances that his condition could not be made worse, and God holds back harsher distress in the time of hard trouble, that restraint is a blessing calling for thankfulness for little remaining mercies in the midst of great sorrows rather than fretting the hours away and consuming the heart with self-pity. Because what seems against his children is permitted to accomplish his purpose for their lives, they can trust him where they cannot see and cast every sorrow upon him, assured that the meaning will be made plain sometime, if not now then in the world to come.