Our Fearsome God

January 29, 2022 Georgia Tanner

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:11-14

Here in this beautiful passage, there is not one, but two reminders to fear Him, our God. Fear. We have painted that word and the emotion that goes with it in ugly colors. We have scratched it out with a black marker and decided to avoid it at all costs. Fear is bad, we think. We buy the tee-shirt that proclaims we are fearless because if we walk without fear every door opens before us and we enter in tall and strong.

But what if fear is sometimes a good thing? What if we see before us something big and wonderous and powerful that should make us take pause?

I think of a summer visit to the Grand Tetons. That was not my familiar world. Everywhere there were warnings about bears. In that land that was guarded by mountains and surrounded by vast prairies and deep woods, the bear roamed freely. Tourists who entered there with naïve expectations of a tame wild creature easily photographed or fed or petted would be in for a rude awakening. Bears were the kings of that kingdom, and they were not to be underestimated.

Maybe this is the case with God. We underestimate Him. We surmise because he is loving, He must also be tame.

I used to belong to a church where C.S. Lewis was viewed as an additional Apostle. I am sure that is sacrilegious - but his writings came up almost as often as Paul’s. Kidding just a little bit here. Anyway, there is the wonderful discovery of Aslan, King of Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When Susan, the little girl in the story, first encounters the King she is surprised to find out he is a lion – not a man.

"Ooh," said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver… “Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

We, too, think our King should be safe. Maybe he isn’t. Maybe sometimes fear should hold us back. Fear should stop us in our tracks, cause us to look up and carefully measure our breath and focus all our attention on Who is before us.

This is where David takes us when he sings a song about God’s love. God’s love so high and steadfast there is nothing to compare it to but the limitless blue of the endless skies. Look up. There is no end to what you see. This is God’s love for those who fear Him.

This is Almighty God for those who stop to stare and wonder and hold their breath, seeking. For those who look for a God so majestic and wonderous that He alone can remove our transgressions, our sins, our insults and injuries against Him and His creation – remove them as far as the east is from the west!

He can lift our wrongs out of our heart and off our shoulders until they are no more. Why should we not fear and honor and respect and glorify a God as powerful as this?

Shouldn’t we look at Him in fear and awe?

We fear Him because he is a compassionate Father, reaching out to us with tenderness and mercy. A mercy that is difficult to understand. We fear Him because He knows our smallness yet treats us with kindness and sees our doubt yet remembers us with gentleness. We fear Him because the Creator of the heavenly realms recalls forming us from His own breath and the dust of His land.

David reminds us to fear God is a precious and honorable thing. Fear places God on the throne. And us under His protection.

Let it sink in. We are His - if we fear Him.

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

14 For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children's children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

A little note: I wrote this early one morning in August as Jeff and I started our trip out west. As I read this Psalm, I was so struck by the reminder to fear the Lord. Yesterday, I taught a retreat for a group of women in recovery from the hold of drugs and alcohol. Our story for them was Jesus forgiving the unnamed woman who had anointed His feet with her tears from Luke 7:36-50. Our emphasis was forgiveness; through Jesus, our confessed sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. I used the Easy To Read Version of the passage from Psalm 103 to keep things as simple as possible.

I went there this morning to read the entire Psalm in that translation. It was so lovely, (‘He makes us young again, like an eagle that grows new feathers.’) But something was missing. The word fear! Let us not be afraid to fear God. I think we will be missing out on seeing His Power and Might if we discard fear.

God of Wonders by Third Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBNE25rtnE