"A LITTLE WRATH FOR A MOMENT" (Pastor Tom Henry) ~ 8/5/25

“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.” (Isaiah 54:7, 8)

This text belongs to all believers. Yes, for the children of Israel seventy years in Babylon was but for a moment, as it were, compared to the merciful kindness that they received when God gathered them, but clearly these words apply in a much greater way to the Redeemed of the Lord who are gathered to Christ by the Gospel. If there be any doubt that this is the property of all believers, the last verse of the chapter should be sufficient to remove it. “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” This promise follows upon the prophecy of our Lord’s great suffering for His people (Isaiah 53). We are never so able to believe a great promise as when we have been at the cross.

The people of God are often tried, and their griefs are sometimes spiritual, and more deep than those of the wicked. Their grand comfort lies in this, that in all their afflictions, whatever the nature of them, there is no penal judgement, no great indignation, no final wrath from the Lord. “A little wrath for a moment,” as our text speaks, is comparable to the “judgment that must begin at the house of God,” of which the Apostle Paul speaks. (I Peter 4:17) By “judgment” he means the trials and afflictions that Christians endure in this present life. They are but “for a moment,” as it were, because they will end with this life. This is in great contrast to the judgment that the ungodly will suffer eternally. Peter follows up by asking, that if this be the case of the righteous, “…where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Their judgment will be penal, unmitigated, eternal wrath, while for believers their sufferings are not penal, but rather intended for the trial and perfecting of their faith. Their afflictions are temporal, and, compared to the eternal love of God, only “for a little moment.”

We must come to view our time of trial and suffering as our Lord considers them. He calls it “a little wrath,” and speaks of the time of its continuance as “a small moment.” Our view differs from the Lord’s. To us it can seem to be an utter forsaking, and the hiding of His face forever. In our agitated state, we are too unbelieving to judge aright. God’s view is truth itself, therefore let us believe it. In reality we are never forsaken, and though through our tears and grief we may not see His face, His eye is ever fixed on us. God is here speaking of the situation as we perceive it, but in truth He never forsakes His own.

            “Never a trial that He is not there,

            Never a burden that He doth not bear.

            Never a sorrow that He doth not share,

            Moment by moment, I’m under His care.”

A learned pastor was attending an aged Christian in his last illness. He was assuring the dear man that His Lord would never leave nor forsake him. He told the dear saint that Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” was even more emphatic in the original language, that the text contained no less than five negatives instead of the two that appear in our English version. The dear man’s reply was very simple and striking: “I have no doubt, sir, that you are quite right, but I assure you that had God only used one negative, I would believe Him just the same.”

            “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

            I will not, I will not desert to His foes;

            That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

            I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”

The time of God’s hidden face is short. What is less than “a small moment”? As compared to His eternal love it is totally insignificant, and especially so when in reality it only endures for a little while. Each new trial can feel like it is here to stay, but let us be like David, and remember past deliverances. (Ps. 42:6; 143:5-8)

The “wrath” itself is little. The word seems strong, but it is mitigated in that it is that of a loving Husband Who laid down His life for His bride. It is that of our wonderful Redeemer Who purchased us for Himself. It is that of a loving Father Who pities His children. In other words, it is a “wrath” occasioned by love.

The recompense is great. Jehovah vows to give “mercies” many; mercies divine, everlasting, great, and effectual: “With great mercies will I gather thee.”