Friday 30 June 2017

I am a Delight Psalm 147:11 by Susan L.

  "No, the Lord's delight is in those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love." JCB
  "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy." NKJ

  I had to go hunting through my concordance to find the passage that got me thinking about the idea of fearing God.
  "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involved torment." 1 John 4:18
  How can God be delighted by my fear of Him? The Jesus Centred Bible's concordance defines fear in two ways. The first is to have a reverential awe of God. The second part is what most of us know fear as: being afraid or apprehensive.
  Back in Moses' day, God wanted to be with each of His chosen people on a personal level. It scared the pants of them so they asked Moses to act as a mediator between them and God. They got laws, rituals and practices because it was what they needed to go through before they felt worthy enough to enter into communion with God.
  Jesus came to open the door for everyone. That's how badly God, the Father, wants to be in a relationship with every one of us. He gave us His only Son. Jesus was the expression of perfect love capable of casting out the fear/terror humans had of God.
  He doesn't want us to be so afraid of Him that we end up like Adam and Eve, hiding from Him. He doesn't want us to be afraid because we have sinned. The floodgates of grace were opened up the moment Jesus opened His eyes on Christmas morning.
  So, what is reverential awe? It's those jaw dropping moments of childlike wonder and amazement. It's being thankful. It's honouring the One who died for us. It's being speechless when we see God's hand clearly working in our lives. It's sharing those moments with the world in celebration.
   It's kneeling humbly before Him in prayer and supplication. Or sitting, if kneeling is beyond our physical ability. Or having a chat in the car on the way to the dentist.
  It's moments of quiet contemplation.
  It's realizing God is bigger than anything we could ever fathom.
  It's returning ownership of our lives back to God (again) on the way to the dentist.
  I think of the times in the past when the Lord intervened and saved my life. Foolish mistakes could have cut my story short. A Lifesaver candy nearly did. So did a hay baler. Yet, as I reflect on these moments which happened long before I turned to Him, I know He was there to save me.
  I am one of billions, a grain of sand on the beach, yet God has His finger on my heart and my life every single moment of every day...All fear is gone. In its place is an upwelling spring of hope because there is no place I'd rather be than right here with Him.
 
 

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