Fearing God For His Forgiveness

Suggested Reading: Psalm 130

One of the bad things about vacation, especially if you have things planned to do, is that kids can get really tired and cranky. When they start misbehaving there is a fine line that parents must walk between being disciplinarians and extending forgiveness. If we don't discipline them when they misbehave, they begin to believe that it is acceptable to misbehave. If we are so harsh with our discipline that a transgression is unforgivable and they don't get to do anything they can adopt an attitude of "Well, I've already blown it, what is the point in trying to behave?" When we come down on our kids (especially on vacation), we want them to believe that they stand a chance at forgiveness so that we stand a chance at getting them to behave.

Psalm 130 expresses a similar situation between us and God. Psalm 130:3-4 reads, "Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared" (HCSB). At first, that sentiment seems a little odd. How does offering forgiveness lead to fearing God? But the principle is exactly the same as I described with my children on vacation. If God didn't offer forgiveness, what would be the point in fearing God? We have all sinned at some point, most of us before we truly begin to grasp the consequences. Without the prospect of forgiveness, there is no point in trying to obey God because we are already damned. But if we can be forgiven, then there is a possibility that trying to live right from this point forward will pay off.

As parents, employers, supervisors, and people in authority, there is a tremendous lesson to be learned here. Offering forgiveness does not mean we are weak. Offering forgiveness does not have to undercut our authority. In fact, not offering forgiveness may undercut our authority more. The possibility of forgiveness can be motivation for people to do their best because they understand that one failure does not mean disqualification from the benefits of living and working well. But refusing to offer forgiveness can harden people against us and de-motivate people because there is no longer any point in trying to do things the right way.

But this principle is also significant because it is a logical basis for us to remain grounded in the hope of God's forgiveness. There are times when we think we have messed up so badly there is no point trying anymore, when we think we have disqualified ourselves because we have done something so terrible that forgiveness is no longer an option. If that is where you find yourself, the psalmist reminds us that God offers forgiveness so that we might fear Him. God would rather forgive you and bring you back onto the straight and narrow than condemn you. God is more interested in you living right from here on out than in punishing you for the misdeeds of the past.

"Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared." God wants to forgive us. Will we accept forgiveness or harden ourselves for no reason? Will we offer this same forgiveness to those around us?

Being Terrified by Your Friend's Magical Powers

Suggested Reading: Mark 4:35-41

The BBC program Merlin took place in a time when sorcery was outlawed. Naturally, that made things a little difficult for the infamous sorcerer who helped Arthur become the king of legend. In the series finale, Merlin finally revealed his magical nature to Arthur as the king lay dying. Though Merlin was trying to save Arthur's life at the time, Merlin's magical nature scared the king more than his own terminal condition, at least at first. The king eventually came to terms with Merlin's abilities, but when Arthur first got a glimpse of who Merlin really was, it frightened him to be in the presence of someone with so much power.

The episode is reminiscent of a passage from Mark 4. Jesus and his disciples had gotten into a boat to cross the lake and Jesus had taken the opportunity to get some sleep. A massive storm swept up and began to threaten the boat so Jesus's disciples woke him up, worried that they were going to die. Jesus immediately spoke to the storm and stilled the winds and waves, and then he rebuked his disciples for demonstrating so little faith, i.e., freaking out. But even though they had feared for their lives before, after Jesus saves them is when they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:41, HCSB).

Most of us entered into a relationship with God or began our walk with Christ with the understanding of God's love for us because of what God sent Jesus to do on the cross for us.  But because we don't often experience things like the sudden calming of powerful storms or watch dead men rise from their caskets, we can sometimes forget how powerful our God is.

Our God is so immensely powerful that the entire universe flowed from his imagination, that he can create people from dirt and drop brimstone bombs to level cities with less effort than it takes us to bat an eye. The power that our God wields should terrify us no less than it did the disciples. But being aware both of the power God has and of the ways in which God has worked it for our benefit should fill us with gratitude and inspire us to consistently use our own power to save and serve people.

Our God is powerful enough to destroy us on a whim but chooses to save us instead. How are you using your power?