It is easy, all too easy, to take the familiar for granted. To make mundane that which is truly incredible. In a moment of jarring clarity a week or two ago, I realised just how quickly we do this and how much I am guilty of falling into this trap.
Reverence is not a quality held in high esteem in our time. We like to be familiar, to feel like we’re all the same, of equal worth. I wonder if this is particularly so here in New Zealand – this tiny country in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps to make up for our suppressed sense of insignificance – undoubtedly exacerbated by our size and isolation – we like to tell ourselves that no one is better than us. We’re all the same. We must be important. For we punch above our weight. No one can dare tell us otherwise. In this nation, anyone daring to raise their head above the pack is swiftly chopped down and corrected for their presumption.
But does our striving for equality blind us to reality? Does it render us incapable of recognising true worth? Deep down, are we afraid that we’re actually not nearly as important or significant as we like to think we are?
We don’t like to talk about fear – fear is always bad, isn’t it? Doesn’t it hold us back? Shouldn’t we be fearless and free, willing to do anything and everything in our attempt to make our mark on the world? We certainly don’t like to feel afraid. Instead, we want everything to be ok, always, and to know that we have it all under control. Nonetheless, fear is essential. It stops us from doing things that we shouldn’t, prevents us from the downright stupid, and protects us whether we realise it or not.
So what about God and fear? Can the two coexist in one sentence? I’m not sure that we are comfortable with that. Don’t we like to tell ourselves that we don’t need to be afraid of God? That he won’t do anything we don’t want him to. That our God is safe – He’s on our side after all. But the Bible has a lot to say about God and fear. In fact, in the Bible, fearing God is always a good thing. It is both natural and appropriate. – the only fitting response to our awesome God
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
Proverbs 9:10
Do we need to learn to be comfortable with fear? To recognise that humility, reverence and awe are non-negotiable?
I have been thinking lately about how easy it is to shift into a mindset of taking God for granted. Is it possible that we speak of the treasures of God with too much familiarity? Do we instead treat them with contempt through our dismissive attitude and flippancy? I just wonder if the glorious things of God should be whispered about rather than shouted. If they should be treasured and cradled close to our hearts rather than painted on billboards and thrown about carelessly in conversation.
Let’s take a moment today to hold the things of God close, whisper them, cradle them in our hands and hearts, and to thank our God and remember that he is God and that we are not.
Dear Father, Forgive us for the times we take you for granted. When we fail to treat you with the respect that you deserve. Help us today to recognise who you are, to appreciate anew the height and depth and length of your incredible love. May we see you with new eyes and wonder and marvel at who you are and all you have done. Amen.
What about you? Is awe an aspect of your relationship with God? Do you like to think on the fear of the Lord? Or is it something that you baulk at?
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Yes, Alicia you are onto something here and your post reminds me of two things.
One from the writings of C S Lewis, here,
“‘C.S. Lewis answers this in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe when Mr. Beaver tells Susan that Aslan (the ruler of Narnia) is a great lion. Susan is surprised, since she assumed Aslan was a man. She then tells Mr. Beaver, “I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” She asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe, to which Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King.’” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/always-good-never-safe
And, Jeremiah 18:1-6
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to (A)the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear[a] my words.” 3 So I went down to (B)the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
Both the above speak to me about what you have shared and to me point to the same thinking.
Thank you.