You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, and gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. And the LORD will cause His voice of authority to be heard, and the descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger, and in the flame of a consuming fire in cloudburst, downpour and hailstones. (Isaiah 30:29–30)

The wind blows either with us or against us. When we ride a bike into the wind, we say the wind is against us. When we ride a bike in the other direction, we say the wind is with us. There is a big difference—not in the wind, but in the direction we are pedaling. The same is true of God; He does not change: “For I, the LORD, do not change …” (Mal 3:6, see also James 1:17). The book of Isaiah contains two major themes: one of warning and judgment, and the other of promise of rescue and peace. In our passage we have both, and the way in which we experience God depends on how we respond to Him.

Some, like those in Israel who repent and turn to Him, will experience the peacefulness and joy of singing in the night, not guilt or the fear of punishment. There will be an inner “gladness” or joy when thinking of approaching God. In the words of the writer to the Hebrews, we respond positively to the invitation: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). God’s presence is a good thing, and we look forward to it.

Yet the presence of the same God can strike fear in the unrepentant sinner. Not because God has changed. A brick wall provides protection and security while creating an impenetrable barrier that would hurt us if we try to run up against it. Those Jews in Isaiah’s time who continued to resist God’s sovereign rule in their lives were beating their heads against an immovable, divine obstacle—and His name is “the LORD, the Rock of Israel.”

The description of God when we resist Him is formidable: He is the “voice of authority,” and He will be heard. You can count on that! “His arm” will express His anger. One can imagine the sword-wielding, muscular arm of a warrior descending on his foes. Such is God’s judgment on those who do not humble themselves before Him. His anger is most aptly described in weather terminology, like a hail storm with lightning and thunder—the kind that would shake a man to his core.

We choose how we will experience the Rock—either with joy when we humbly repent, or with fear when we stubbornly resist.

Lord, I come humbly before You, submissive to Your rule in my life—and I joyfully enter with confidence into Your presence, for You are my Rock.