Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Behold, God is exalted in his power.
    Who is a teacher like him?
Who has prescribed his way for him?
    Or who can say, ‘You have committed unrighteousness’?
Remember that you magnify his work,
    about which men have sung.
All men have looked on it.
    Man sees it afar off.
Behold, God is great, and we don’t know him.
    The number of his years is unsearchable.
For he draws up the drops of water,
    which distill in rain from his vapor,
which the skies pour down
    and which drop on man abundantly.
Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds
    and the thunderings of his pavilion?
Behold, he spreads his light around him.
    He covers the bottom of the sea.
For by these he judges the people.
    He gives food in abundance.
He covers his hands with the lightning,
    and commands it to strike the mark.
Its noise tells about him,
    and the livestock also, concerning the storm that comes up.”
(Job 35:22-33)

“Yahweh’s voice is on the waters.
    The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters.
Yahweh’s voice is powerful.
    Yahweh’s voice is full of majesty.
Yahweh’s voice breaks the cedars.
    Yes, Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes them also to skip like a calf;
    Lebanon and Sirion like a young, wild ox.
Yahweh’s voice strikes with flashes of lightning.
   Yahweh’s voice shakes the wilderness.
    Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
Yahweh’s voice makes the deer calve,
    and strips the forests bare.
    In his temple everything says, “Glory!””
(Psalm 29:3-9)

“Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.”
(Romans 5:1-10)

Elihu was reminding Job of who God was. That there was a proper response to God’s correction. God’s works should ALWAYS cause us to praise and exalt God and NEVER accuse Him of wrongdoing. The fact is that He sees more than we can ever possibly know. He KNOWS. And if He says something is not right, then it isn’t right. If He says a correction is needed, a correction is needed. And if God chooses to discipline, it is proper, well, and good. Who are WE to say He is doing it wrong? To say that we don’t deserve it? Praise God, we NEVER get what we truly deserve. God is MERCIFUL and God is GOOD. In our lives, we need to NEVER forget that. No matter what we think about something, we should take it as the baseline truth that God is right. Period.

Just by being God, God is magnificent. There is nothing He can’t do. There is nothing that can stand against Him. He created this world, this universe, all universes, all of everything. Nothing exists that wasn’t created by Him except Himself. Everything is less than. He is more than. Period. He is GOD. There is a reason why everyone falls to the ground when He appears. When even a messenger He sends appears we get weak in the knees. He is GOD ALMIGHTY. We can forget that because He is so merciful. We can forget that because He is so loving. He is so gentle with us. He comes to where we are and treats us with kindness. But it doesn’t change His nature. It doesn’t change His character. It doesn’t change that He is Almighty God.

And AS Almighty God, He reached out to us. He saved us. He made the Way for us. While we were standing apart from Him. While we were enemies. While we were firm in our Sin and rebellion, not submitting to Him in any way, and probably denying His existence at all. THAT is when He showed us mercy. THAT is when He extended us grace. THAT is when He opened the Way. We are not justified by anything WE did or do. We are justified by the Blood of Jesus. We are renewed by His sacrifice. We are in Him and that is how we live. That is how we have life and salvation and a relationship with God. God Almighty, full of power and majesty and glory. Creator of the Universe. King of all things everywhere. He laid down for you. He paid for you. He did it all. And He has the RIGHT to say what is good and what is not. Our response to that should always be humble submission. That is what is good and right and true.

Summary

We do NOT have to LIKE the truth. We DO have to accept it. We need to submit to what we find in the Word, which is the will of God. We need to humble ourselves, not our ourselves and our opinions and our preferences first. We need to take what He did and do what He says. He is GOD. He is RIGHT. He is TRUTH. He is the ONLY impartial observer. He is the ONLY objective truth. He IS. Our response to that should always be a bended knee. We need to give Him His place. His rightful place. We need to submit and follow Him. To live in Jesus and allow Jesus to live in us. To pick up what He offers us. It is right and good that we do so. And every time we get fussy. Every time our flesh kicks up. We need to remind ourselves of exactly who He is and what the proper and good response to Him is. We need to get ourselves in line, humbly submit, and be obedient. It is NOT a burden. It is freeing. It is right. It is good. It is a JOY – when we hold onto the proper perspective and the love that Jesus has for us.