You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with Your strong arm You scattered your enemies. The heavens are Yours, and Yours also the earth; You founded the world and all that is in it. You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at Your name. Your arm is endowed with power; Your hand is strong, Your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they celebrate Your righteousness. For You are their glory and strength, and by Your favor You exalt our horn. Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our King to the Holy One of Israel. (Psalm 89:9-18)
- - - - -
Imagine standing in a wide, open field. The grains around you blow around in the wind. There are no trees or structures in sight.
However, you are not alone.
With you there is a massive, powerful lion. At any moment, this lion could choose to tear you limb from limb.
Now, remember this feeling. Bottle it up and keep it.
This feeling isn’t just fear. It’s more than that. You have accepted that running is not an option. Fighting is not looking promising either. You simply must submit, surrender, and hope that the lion chooses to spare you.
Because of its power over you, this lion gets respect from you. Everything else is so much less significant in comparison. Your situation with the lion demands reverence.
Much like a lion, God has this power and dominion over us. Unlike a lion, God is gracious, gentle, and merciful in His power. And we know this. As Christians, we focus on this A LOT. God’s grace. God’s mercy. God’s tenderness.
All of these things are true, right, and good.
The thing is, we forget to bottle up that feeling of being face to face with a lion. We forget to show God the reverence that He deserves.
Your arm is endowed with power; Your hand is strong, Your right hand exalted.
The God we worship is an all-knowing, all-powerful being. In comparison to Him, we know practically nothing. We have no power.
Just like our options with the lion: we can try and run or we can try and fight. Both of these options are futile. The lion will always win. God will always win.
This healthy fear of the Lord is sorely lacking in the average, American, bible belt, Christian walk. Too often we forget the different approaches we can and should take in our walk and worship of the Lord.
So, what I want to encourage and challenge our readers to do is to seek understanding of the various facets of who God is.
God is a “both and” type of God.
He is both wrathful and merciful. He is both dangerous and comforting. He is both mighty and meek.
I challenge you to not only focus on the sides of God that give us “warm fuzzies”, but to also focus on who He is as an all-powerful Ruler and King.
Humble yourself, and remember the feeling of facing the lion. Let it fuel your submission to the Lord.
We would love to know - do you have a hard time seeing God as a roaring lion? How have you sought to grow in your reverence and awe towards Him? Let us know in today's IG post!
As always, please help us out by sharing today's devotion! You can do so using the sharing icon below!
Blessings,
Declare Glory
guest writer, Steve Sullivant
