“Then Moses said, ‘Now show me Your glory.’” Exodus 33:18
The way in which we see God influences our relationship with Him. To some He is a combination of Grandpa and Santa Claus, out of touch with reality, but still sweet and giving. To others He is “Big Brother” with a huge club, watching us for any opportunity to smack us for messing up. A God who is benevolent, but powerless is no help to us in our time of need. A God who is powerful and unfeeling breeds fear that drives us away from Him. We would have no God if He were either of the two scenarios. It is vastly important to see God as He really is, as He has revealed Himself in His Word.
The truth is, God is both benevolent and powerful, which is why we can approach Him with our needs and know that He is both able and willing to help us.
Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come before the Throne of Grace with “parresia” which means boldness, confidence, frankness, openness of speech; bringing everything about the matter to God. Paul says that “In [Christ] and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. This confidence stems from our trust in God – which literally means “to be persuaded or convinced,” terms that carry legal weight. We can come before Him boldly because we are confident that He will receive us, we are convinced of His love for us, and we are persuaded that He can and will come to our aid. We come before Him with boldness because He has opened the way for us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.
But in addition to boldness, we must also come before God with awe and reverence. Solomon, the great king of wisdom, said “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2) While we are welcome into God’s presence as His dearly loved children, we must never forget Who we have come before. We are approaching the Lord who is Holy (Isaiah 6:3); Righteous (Psalm 119:137); and Sovereign (Daniel 4:25). Hebrews 12:28-29 reminds us that we are to “be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Rather than seeing Him with terror, we should regard Him with holy reverence and thank Him for His love and mercy to us.
To see God only as harsh and uncaring is to turn Him into a mean-spirited ogre. To see God as Father, but not as holy is to make Him into a one-dimensional entity. God is all loving, and He is all holy. Not in perfect balance, but in perfect fullness. Peter made a wonderful observation in 1 Peter 1:17 – “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” Peter recognizes the love relationship we have with our Heavenly Father, and reminds us that He is also the Sovereign and Holy God Almighty who judges in righteousness. He is our Father, and He is our Lord-overflowing compassion and overwhelming holiness.
He is the one who holds our lives in the palm of His hand.
Oh what a glorious place to be – cradled in the hands of One who is so mighty and awesome, and who loves us with an everlasting and consuming love.
Lord – Jesus called You “Holy Father” – the perfect Name for the One who is both awesome in holiness and perfect in love. May my heart always belong to You. Amen
Deeper Roots 