Hi siblings
Have you lived a life in fear? If so was it good fear, or faithless fear? There is a difference, as faithless fear restricts our capacity to do and be. On the other hand, good fear, though rooted in terror, induces reverence. How can we have good fear, you ask? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Psalms 34:9 NIV
[9] Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
Fear YHWH
Siblings, fear is fear. However, when we taste and see YHWH’s goodness and realise that YHWH is all that YHWH is (did you catch that – it’s IAM that IAM in a different format); we ought to find ourselves intimidated by all YHWH is. And maybe, a bit awestruck.
I know, we don’t often like to associate fear with a good God; but if we actually feared God, I believe our relationship and expectations might shift.
Self-Check
To what extent do we actually fear God?
Digging Deeper
As I type, I’m reminded of the car decals of yesteryear that spoke to fearing the driver. Most were a bit unpleasant, but once I saw one that said, ‘Fear God’. Many things go bump in the night which give us the heebie jeebies. Very few of us grew up without experiencing fear of some kind. In most cases, it would have been trauma-related. Having been burned, stung, or harmed in some way, we associate any form of the object with the remembered hurt and are terrified. That’s what trauma does.
And while there may be need to be cautious in interacting with the source of our hurt (real, perceived, or potential), it does not require the terror we would associate with it. More so, we ought not pass that fear on to others. Even if it’s a road hog with the decal sign saying, fear this.
On the other hand, YHWH is Creator. As ones also gifted with creative power, we ought to realise that the one who creates has the power to destroy the created thing.
A simple example is the creation of each Nougat. As I type, I might realise that the trajectory I’m on is not where God is leading. When that happens, I select everything that’s out of sync, and, with one click – it is deleted! The knowledge that we can destroy as part of our authority to create has resulted in lots of abuse. So much so that we fail to realise that God is The Real Deal. Because God could choose to destroy us.
Then we think of all the processes God has set in motion for all Creation and we realise that there’s something different, marvellous and spectacular about our God. It might move us to fear. David says we’re fearfully and wonderfully made. If that’s the case, we ought to ‘fear’ the creator of such beings. And the Creator is YHWH, God. For not only can God destroy, but God also heals saves and restores us – by God’s own choice!
Perhaps we ought to do an inventory of what we fear today. For, if God is whom we fear, and we realise that God chose to save us from ourselves and heal and deliver us; we might be led to worship.
Will we choose to fear God today? Selah
Point to Ponder
Do we now feel that we have grounds to fear YHWH? And does it inspire reverence?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
