By: Mike Kelly
Retired Pastor
Ps 89:2 declares “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”
My wife was talking about an article she read that said we should add the “fear” back into “Fear the Lord.” We have rightly understood it to mean “awe” and “glory” and “honor” and “respect” but we have forgotten to keep the “fear” in “Fear the Lord.”
We probably need to remember that the Lord our God is a mighty God, an all powerful God.
A God that has 100s of millions of angels who bow before his throne continually. A God who simply spoke and the entire world was created. A jealous God.
A God who flooded the world, who destroyed cities like Sodom, who struck down every first born in Egypt, who struck down Ananias and Sapphira for lying.
A little healthy fear isn’t a bad thing. Our youngest child is our only girl. And you know the boundaries between dads and daughters can get a little murky. Something about having us twisted around their little fingers.
I never understood God’s love for me until I had a daughter. The first moment I saw her, my understanding of the depth of love I was capable of opened wide and swallowed me.
I had no idea how much one could love until that moment. Later, I was able to use that foundation shaking understanding to get a better handle on how much God loves me…and you.
When we say God’s love is unconditional and infinite, we have no real idea of what that involves but I’ll say that after our daughter was born, I got a better understanding of it. I’ve no doubt I’m about 1 million to the 1 millionth degree still unable to appreciate His love for us.
Eph 3:17-19: “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of His love], and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
My daughter had a healthy fear of her dad. Growing up, she never doubted my love but she also never doubted my power.
She will tell you today that there were things she didn’t do as a child and teen because she feared my reaction. Not that I would beat her, but that I would be disappointed and, yes, angry with her. Something she didn’t want.
Maybe this Father’s Day, we ought to think about our Heavenly Father a little. Is our life pleasing to Him? Or, is he disappointed in our choices? Have we forced him into a position where his love for us requires him to correct us?
Nothing we can ever do will remove or reduce his love for us. That is a total impossibility. But, love can come in the form of correction as all parents know. We slap a toddler’s hand to keep him from touching the hot stove. We’re not mad, but we love them enough to train our children to keep them safe.
This Sunday, take a few moments to reflect on your understanding of God, your Father’s love, and on your current relationship with him. Give him a spiritual hug and thank him for loving you…even when you were being a little brat.
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Mike Kelly is the founding pastor of Bryan’s Grace Community Church (retired) and Board Chairman of Bryan’s Sanctuary Homeless Shelter and Williams County’s Compassion (free) Medical Clinic.
