Friday, March 27, 2009
Fear IS A Good Thing
Milt Stanley links to an interesting reflection on Prov 9:10:
God is not a "Facebook friend" - He is the Lord creator of the universe. I'll never forget meeting the President of the United States when I was a young man (high school). There was a personal connection and it was a personal meeting. He was a genuinely nice guy and because of my relationship with some of his relations, he seemed to actually, really like me. I was terrified, words failed me - I shook. The nicer he was to me, the more frightened I became - the access to power that relationship gave me frightened me, if for no other reason than my own unworthiness.
I don't know if high school students would feel that way today in the presence of a secular world leader, but they sure as heck ought to in the presence of God. For in it we discover humility - and in humility we can be remade.
To many Christians God has become so familiar that he can be joked about, his name can be said in vain without fear (for how could that possibly upset our cool, relevant pal-God?). Irreverence has become a celebrated trait in our popular culture - a trait to be aped - and that irreverence permeates even into the church. The throne room has become a place to "hang out". We might even feel comfortable with "getting in God's face" if he has displeased us. In the coarsening of culture and language, the way God is spoken about, and spoken to, by we who bear his name makes me tremble. American church leaders decided to spend the last two decades experimenting with building up a God who meets felt needs and stirs emotions, and the result is what my own kids are experiencing among their friends: churched young people leaving the faith in droves. Because there comes a point where this small, familiar, man-shaped god has outlived his usefulness, and it's time to move on to bigger and better things.There was a bit of a comment debate on a post I did a while back about reading the entire Bible. My major point had been making sure we read the Old Testament. You remember the OT don't you? - Where God commanded the Israelites to slaughter entire nations - where God turned people into pillars of salt, and brought entire seas down on armies. Yeah, I'd say there is cause to be fearful, if we but keep an eye on the whole character of God.
I think it's time, in my own life, to move beyond awe and reverence. I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't be terrified.
God is not a "Facebook friend" - He is the Lord creator of the universe. I'll never forget meeting the President of the United States when I was a young man (high school). There was a personal connection and it was a personal meeting. He was a genuinely nice guy and because of my relationship with some of his relations, he seemed to actually, really like me. I was terrified, words failed me - I shook. The nicer he was to me, the more frightened I became - the access to power that relationship gave me frightened me, if for no other reason than my own unworthiness.
I don't know if high school students would feel that way today in the presence of a secular world leader, but they sure as heck ought to in the presence of God. For in it we discover humility - and in humility we can be remade.
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