Now the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him – those who depend on His faithful love – Psalm 33:18
A friend of mine once said that God will not allow us to think better of Him than He will be to us. Another way to put it might be that it is impossible to think too highly of God. “Be it unto you according to your faith,” Jesus tells us. The Hebrew word that we translate as fear carries with it that idea that God’s awesomeness is not limited. Those who know the fear of the LORD do not test Him, but they do learn to trust Him and depend on Him completely in every circumstance.
It is a misunderstanding for us to look at where our own misdeeds or faults have landed us and think that we must now get out of the mess all on our own. If the Lord only helped us when it wasn’t our fault, He’d have a lot more free time – not that free time’s an issue with Him anyway. I do think He intends for us to learn from our mistakes, and, if we fail to learn, we may well find ourselves thinking a situation looks like all too familiar. As Billy Joe Shaver says in The Deja Blues, “Sounds like the same song all over again.” Consequences may intensify as we loop through the iterations until we get it -- or it gets us. Nevertheless, if we will depend on the Father’s faithful love, He will deliver us. Our deliverance may not be without pain, loss, or a fat slice of humble pie – all to our good, but we will be delivered.
All one has to do is go back and read about Abraham, who, for all his faith, missed God on more than one occasion. Yet God called him His friend, blessed him, and brought him through all of his trials, naming him the father of the faithful. We can look at the Lord’s patience with Israel, as well. Time after time just in the desert wanderings with Moses, God’s faithful love is demonstrated. From the Red Sea to Kadesh Barnea to the crossing of Jordan, the children of Israel tried the Lord’s love and mercy. He never failed them until they completely lost faith in His love. A generation fell in the wilderness but only because of their unbelief. The one thing God’s faithfulness cannot overcome is our lack of faith. He’ll get us through anything when we are willing to believe and trust in Him.
Never are you going to depend on God and find that He has let you down. Never is the Lord going to abandon anyone, no matter how often they have failed, if they will this time put their trust in Him and in His goodness. He never “teaches us a lesson” about the past if we will depend on Him in the present. God may be a practitioner of tough love at times, but He is never vindictive, never petty, never bitter or unforgiving. It is just not His nature. If anyone wants to know if there is anything God cannot do, that’s it. He cannot fail, cannot fail to love, cannot fail to respond to our humble dependence upon Him. He will come through for us.
The only way I can cut off the faithful love of God is to think too little of Him, to think He is an easily offended tyrant rather than the loving, caring Father ready to welcome me back with rejoicing. He did not spare His own Son in order to bring me home, what’s a fatted calf to that?
4 comments:
Again, something I needed to hear.
He did not spare His own Son in order to bring me home, what’s a fatted calf to that?
Of course, there's also a flipside, which is where anyone with sense acknowledges the fear and trembling. When we are willing to be shaped according to his purpose, it is good to remember that sometimes, a death is involved. He did not spare his own beloved son from this. Usually the death is of some aspect of our selves, I think, but just as real and just as painful nonetheless. But the other thing to remember is that with that death comes the promise of new life.
This journey, it isn't for cowards. Though of course even the most cowardly is welcome to try, and try, and try again. Always with open arms, always with the promise.
Great post and yeah, what Julie said.
Julie, your comment is better than my post.
Hectic times continue, but things aren't really going too badly.
Indeed. What you all said.
Considering Bob's post today, I think fear may also mean of that full extent to which God knows me better than I do. When the ego is stripped away and your true intentions are all that are left; you are naked as Adam and Eve.
God knows if I will push the person out of the way of the speeding train or not. I don't know if I can handle the answer. Or to learn that nothing, especially my thoughts, were never known to just me. It is a harder way for the believer than the unbeliever. The latter I think is a little more off the hook. This post is directed to the believer.
Great post as always, Mushroom.
RR
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