"So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me."
This was rather neat to connect the verses and the prayer from Pleasant Words. The gentle, caring nature of God is seen in a touching way when the angel asked how much longer God was going to be angry with Jerusalem and Judah. It had already been about seventy years.
The contrast of angry vs kind/comforting words was startling. The Lord speaking and answering with a soft answer (Proverbs 15:1).
"Soft answers turn away wrath."
I wonder if the angel was upset to see the Lord angry so long at Jerusalem and Judah. I think that I get upset with the Lord sometimes and also over petty things as compared to what motivated the angel's anger. No doubt many of us get angry too at the Lord for things that we expected from Him but were disappointed. We feel, "Doesn't He care?!"
Yet the Lord's gentle nature comes out in these verses and we can know that He will have compassion on all of us too.
"He makes all things beautiful in His time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Patiently await His timing. In the meantime may we be encouraged to speak pleasant, soft, gentle and caring, comforting words to our family members, friends, to God Himself and even to His angels if you get a chance.
In Zechariah 4:6 The LORD Almighty has might and power but chooses to use His Spirit to give out His word and message to the people. If we are to give out the message of Jesus, let our natures also be soaked in the Word of God and His Holy Spirit so our nature will become more like His and the message spoken will be as His: gentle and caring yet with power and might to bring to conviction, repentance and confession of faith. May our compassionate God of all comfort, comfort you and others through you, His gentle and caring mouthpiece.
~ERC 2017~
Originally journaled March 1995; adapted for blog in 2017
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