Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee…for when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
—Isaiah 26:8-9
The LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.
—Isaiah 30:18
Mercy and judgment are forever together in God’s dealings. In the flood, in the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, in the overthrow of the Canaanites, we ever see mercy in the midst of judgment. The judgment punishes the sin, while mercy saves the sinner. Or, rather, mercy saves the sinner by means of the very judgment that came upon his sin. As we wait on God, we must expect Him as a God of judgment.
“In the way of Thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for Thee.” If we are honest in our longing for holiness, His holy presence will stir up and discover hidden sin. It will bring us low in the conviction of the evil of our nature, its opposition to God’s law, and its inability to fulfill that law. The words will come true: “Who may abide the day of His coming?…For He is like a refiner’s fire” (Malachi 3:2). In mercy, God executes His judgments upon sin, as He makes it feel its wickedness. Many try to flee these judgments. The soul that longs for God, and for deliverance from sin, bows under them in humility and in hope. In silence of soul, it says, “Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered” (Numbers 10:35). “In the way of Thy judgments…have we waited for Thee.”
Let no one who seeks to learn to wait on God wonder if at first the attempt to wait only reveals more sin. Let no one despair because unconquered sins, evil thoughts, or great darkness appear to hide God’s face. Submit and sink down under the judgment of your sin. Judgment prepares the way and breaks out in mercy. It is written, “Zion shall be redeemed with judgment” (Isaiah 1:27). Wait on God, in the faith that His mercy is working out His redemption in the midst of judgment. Wait for Him; He will be gracious to you.