Day 7: Afraid of God

That old serpent knew what he was doing. Don't think for a second that he didn't. He spoke lies and we believed them wholeheartedly...right up to the minute we heard Him call our names. We covered ourselves and hid that day and when we fear we continue this guilt ridden game of hide and seek.

I was thinking about this post, about what to say that I haven't already said about fear and the way it affects our view and relationship with God. I came across this beautiful post from Ann Voskamp (who else?) and this just glowed right off the screen at me,

"His grace will be more than just sufficient — His grace is guaranteed to actually save. Time, me, the week, all redeemed and miracles happen in mirrors and to people we know. When we know Christ, we always know how things are going to go — always for our good and always for His glory."  

Ann Voskamp "What Every Hard Week Needs to Know"

We can say with confidence that He is on our side when we truly know Him. Our fear takes root when we begin to believe those serpent lies. I used to be afraid of God. I didn't know that I was. It wasn't a healthy fear. It was an anxious waiting-for-Him to punish me sort of fear. If you were to psycho-analyze me it wouldn't take long for you to recognize the roots of this struggle.

The truth is that my fear was based in an inaccurate understanding of God's character. Once He began to heal me and give me a renewed vision of Him I began to see that He is the one in whom we have freedom from fear. He is the only one that can save and He has assured us that He will.

He binds up the wounded (Job 5:18)
He heals our brokenness (Isaiah 30:26)
He is always working for our good (Romans 8:28)

We live in a broken, fallen world. The results are on the evening news and in our hearts. God's character is for our good and His great glory. He promises that. 

Do you struggle with fear of God? How do you remind yourself of God's character?

Tomorrow: At Arm's Distance