God For Us

Are you afraid of God as a Christian? 

When you see Him in His infinite holiness, His glorious majesty, His almighty power; when you hear how He is a consuming fire, perfect in His justice against evil; how we see the people at Mount Sinai trembling in His terrifying presence and at His thunderous voice, the flashes of lightning, the smoke, the trumpets… In Hebrews 12:18-21 the scene is described as “a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’” God had to hide Moses from seeing His face because  it is so glorious that “man shall not see Me and live” says the Lord (Exodus 33:20). Even after talking with God and seeing His back, Moses had to veil his face from the people because when he came down the mountain to tell the people what God said, the reflected radiance on his face was too brilliant for them to look upon (Exodus 34:29-30 & 35).

For sinners who deserve God’s wrath, He is terrifying. It’s what makes hell, hell; it is being in the inescapable, unmediated presence of God’s righteous judgment for eternity. That’s not meant to be comforting. At the same time, it is meant to give us a clearer picture of the grace, mercy, and love of God towards us. There’s something about looking into the pit after you’ve made it to the other side that makes the sigh of relief feel more full and free; it evokes awe and gratitude in us when we get just a glimpse of what God has saved us from. But for some of us, we don’t experience this sigh of relief; or at least right away. Condemnation fills our hearts and we’re afraid. The thought of God terrifies us; we run and hide from Him like Adam and Eve did in the garden. We dare not catch even a glimpse of the God whom we’ve offended. I’ve mentioned this in a previous post but I think it’s worth mentioning here as well, that there was a period where I was so terrified of God that on any given day I would be curled up on the floor, crying to the point of almost puking, shaking in fear and begging God to be merciful to me more times than I can recall. Mind you I was a grown adult and it’s kind of embarrassing to think about this time of my life and to share it openly, but I know there are others, maybe even you, who are going through this kind of terror of God and those are the people I’d like to primarily address here.

The only solution to this kind of dread and terror of God (not to be confused with the healthy fear of God that we’re supposed to have) is to see that same God from Mount Sinai willingly take on flesh and be and do what only He can for our redemption. In the face of Jesus Christ, and only there, do we see that God is truly and overwhelmingly for us. If we only see God from the view of Sinai, of course we’re going to be afraid. But listen to what Jesus, the Mediator between God and man, says: “‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom’” (Luke 12:32). Hear His promise that “‘whoever comes to Me I will never cast out’” (John 6:37) and believe Him. There is no catch, there’s no waiting for the other shoe to drop; He simply tells us to believe “‘It is finished’” (John 19:30). And don’t mistake Jesus being our Mediator to mean that He’s holding the Father back as if the Father is the One who really wants to punish us but Jesus convinced Him not to– oh no, friends. The entire Godhead, Father and Son and Spirit, were in on this plan of redemption even before He created anything (Titus 1:2, John 17:1-5, Ephesians 1:3-14, 2 Timothy 1:9, John 10:17-18). Notice in the quote above: “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” (emphasis mine). 

It is safe to unclench your jaw, open your tightly shut eyes, and see God from the view of Calvary; He is for you. See Jesus’s arms stretched out wide for all who believe, and not just an invitation but His command for everyone to believe. Read His word and see Him doing everything to make us right in His sight so that we may become His children– we’re His beloved children in Christ. I don’t know your story but I know for me this is very hard to wrap my head around; being a child of God that He delights in and doesn’t just tolerate. A child of God who He isn’t angry with, who He isn’t annoyed by, who isn’t a burden to Him, who He sees as perfect and who belongs to Him and who He truly cares for. All because that’s what He wanted to do. The entire bible tells the beautiful story of God redeeming His people for His glory– why? Because He wanted to. Whatever your name is, God wants you and He is for you.

God couldn’t be more clear in His word that He is for us in Christ, and “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-39) That debt you owed, every one of your enemies (including death and your own sin), every trial, your guilty verdict, the just wrath of God for your sins, everything– our good God took care of it all. The veil is torn, the separating walls are gone, His thunderous voice now lovingly speaks life into us and says “Come to Me” instead of “look away.” When we feel condemned as believers, that is not from God because He went to the greatest lengths possible, even the death of His only Begotten Son, to reconcile us to Himself and to destroy everything that stood between us and Himself. Don’t run away from Him, run to Him and know that He is the Father who runs to you in celebration and with compassion every time (Luke 15:18-24). This parable of the prodigal son is a beautiful picture of God’s heart towards His children. Every day we need to run to Him and know He loves us, is for us, and wants us. This is the only solution to the terror of God that keeps you from coming to Him like He wants us to, to see Him in the face of Christ. Nowhere else is God seen in a clearer view than at Calvary. That is His heart. He is our good Father, our sufficient Savior, our ever-present Helper with us in our everyday lives. He loves you and is for you; trust Him.