Being Afraid of God

Let's be honest, most us are afraid of God. And we should be. He's the all-powerful King of the universe. In comparison, we are helplessly powerless. But because we fear him, we hold back from him a few things we feel we can't live without, afraid that he'll strip them from us. A relationship. A job. A standard of living. Health. Dreams. It's scary to know that God wants what's best for us-because it may come at a price.

Anyone who's familiar with the story of Abraham and Isaac knows that sometimes God asks us to give him what we're clutching protectively to our chests. What if God asked you to give up what's most dear to you? What would you do? How would you react? The danger is camping out in that line of thinking. If you continually live in fear of God and what he will do if you surrender your life to him, you likely won't surrender. The Bible teaches, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,  because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18).

God's will is always tried to who he is. (Read that again.) The rumor that God is a sadist in the sky, waiting for some unsuspecting person to give their life to him just so he can toy with them, is a twisted myth. That's not who the Bible describes God to be. It's not his nature. Instead, if we believe he is a loving God, we will be convinced all his plans for us will be full of love and for our good. If we trust the Father, we will trust his plans for us....even if they take us through difficult times, down roads we wouldn't otherwise choose or even to the "Africas" we fear the most. Life with God may not always be "safe," as we'd define it; but he will always, always be good to us. Our lives are in good hands.

"The real issue in life is not the search for God's will; it is the search for God. The issue in faith is not knowing what God is doing, rather it is knowing that God knows what he is doing. The issue of faith is seeking God's presence, not God's plan for my life, because there is no plan outside of my knowing him." -Mike Yaconelli

{Psalm 34:8}

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

{Psalm 84:11}

For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.

He gives us grace and glory.

The lord will withhold no good thing

from those who do what is right.

{Philippians 1:6}

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.