Hi
Years ago someone compared the imagery they had been conditioned to believe about God as one of a grumpy old man, wielding a stick to punish every offense. We may not think about God in the same way, but our actions may be sending a similar message to others. How do we respond to God – in love or fear? Consider today’s Holy Nougat
“No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalms 147:11 NLT
What are some things that we fear? Spiders and bugs, larger animals, darkness, heights, enclosed or open spaces, certain types of people …? And when ‘confronted’ by our fears, how do we respond?
Fear may evoke a debilitating response to a stimulus that seems capable of negatively influencing our lives. When we fear bullies; our fear response might include compliance, even if compliance is to our detriment. When we spot a spider or similar bug, many of us become panicked and chaos abounds within (and sometimes around us). Sometimes we freeze and logic or thought desert us for a season or we become a shadow of ourselves in that moment.
But what if we got it all wrong; what if our response was intended to be different? Here the psalmist couples our ‘fear’ response to God with hope in God’s love. This for me, moves us into the realm of reverence, which includes an element of holy awe. So fearing God (even God’s anger), is not primarily intended to elicit a negative fright action (I was naked, so I hid). Rather it invites reflection on the awesomeness and majesty of God and God’s love which then propels us to obedience. Thus our compliance with God’s law becomes less about potential punitive consequences and more about a love relationship.
This invites us to seriously consider what it is that we love about God, or brings us to awe. And, having identified those, we may choose to occupy our thoughts with that love which, in turn, motivates us to obedience. This is NOT to suggest that our actions have no consequences. Even scientists believe that every action has a consequence – equal and opposite. But, rather than focusing on possible damnation, let us choose to be motivated by God’s love – which provides coverage for our nakedness. And in the process, we will find God taking delight in us!
Love or fear? Both … including fear as reverential awe!
Good morning
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
