When was the last time you felt awe - the sweaty palms and tightening gut that results when understanding fails and mystery remains? Most of us are quite uneasy with such a feeling. We do everything we can to destroy mystery, to define boundaries, and to find ourselves a place of comfort. In this we are not unlike the ancient Israelis who were camped around Mt. Sinai awaiting the Lord's direction. As the mountain quaked and smoked under His Mysterious Presence, they grew fearful. The Bible tells us - "Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”" (Exodus 20:18-19, NKJV) Later in the saga, when Moses went up the mountain again, after a few days they abandoned the Lord, preferring to make a lesser god - one less intimidating. In one of the more tragic episodes of the Exodus, Aaron capitulated to their demands and made them an idol, a golden calf. The result was amazing! "Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies." (Exodus 32:25, NIV)
Like those ancient Jews, many of us find ourselves discomfited by the God of the Scripture who defies definition and formulas. We read of His exploits and wonder what it means, asking - Who is He really? In response many of us unconsciously adopt images for Him to which we can relate and, in the process, lose the Majesty. God asks "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you ever build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord. ‘Could you build a dwelling place for me?" (Acts 7:48-49, NLT) We must be willing to live with a God of wonder, One who is big enough to worship with our whole hearts.
When we diminish God, when we take away His majesty and make Him over as a tame god, awe disappears.
With the loss of awe comes a loss of moral restraint!
I believe that one of the reasons the Church is so full of sin in our time is that her theology is so impoverished. We sing "Jesus loves me, this I know..." and as precious as that truth is, it is not all there is to know. God, as seen in the face of Jesus Christ, is approachable and that is a treasure for those of us who follow Him. But, God is still the God of Sinai and the God of Whom the prophets thundered. He is the God that John met on the Isle of Patmos who revealed His sweeping plans for the triumph of His kingdom and the destruction of evil. Believer, we need to make a fast from all our pious chatter to ponder the ways of the Most High. In humility we need to admit that God is greater than our understanding and that He always will be! That is not a terrible thing at all. In fact, admitting that God does not live in our back pocket, that He is not exclusively the god of Christian evangelicals or the god of America, will go a long, long way to restoring our love for the world that He loves and serving Him in a way that is holy.
“I am the LORD your God, ... “You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below." (Exodus 20:2-4, NIV)
______________________________________
"You are awesome in this place,
Mighty God.
You are awesome in this place,
Abba Father.
You are worthy of all praise,
to You our lives we raise.
You are awesome in this place,
Mighty God." Amen.
- Dave Billington
No comments:
Post a Comment