Written by Dawn Rutan
While I was driving last week (about 19 hours on the road), I had the surreal experience of watching a police car pass me with its lights on to stop someone ahead of me. It wouldn’t have been so odd except that I never saw him coming up behind me. I wasn’t speeding, so I had no reason to be watching my mirrors. I have occasionally come upon a police car when I’ve been going a bit too fast, and then spent the next few miles watching my mirrors to see if he was coming after me. Thankfully I’ve never been pulled over.
That got me thinking about the fear of God. There are those who live in constant fear that God is going to “ticket” them for whatever they’ve done wrong lately. Some of those folks make confession a frequent practice just to be on the safe side. Martin Luther, before he came to understand God’s grace, was such a frequent confessor that he was basically told to lighten up! And some folks simply avoid church and religion altogether because they fear such condemnation. Those who are not believers are right to feel condemned. Apart from Christ they will receive the due punishment for their sin, and even the “smallest” sin against the Almighty God is worthy of death.
However, those who have put their faith in Christ for salvation can live in the grace and mercy of forgiveness. We don’t have to drive around watching our mirrors in fear of the “cosmic police.” Instead, we can rest assured that we are forgiven— past, present, and future. Yes, we should still confess our sins, but we don’t need to fear that we’ll be punished for our actions. As Jesus said, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean” (John 13:10 ESV). Unconfessed sin tends to interfere with our relationship with God and hinders our ability to worship Him freely.
Isaiah 43:1-2 says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” For the Christian, God is not the policeman waiting to catch us in a speed trap. He is also not the absentee landlord, leaving us to muddle along on our own while he’s on vacation in Alpha Centauri. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10), leading and protecting His sheep from harm. He is the loving Father, waiting to welcome His prodigal child home (Luke 15). He is the Bread of Life (John 6) and the Living Water (John 4), filling the deepest needs of His followers. He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11), giving eternal security to those who are dead in their sins.
I find I need frequent reminders of who God is and is not. A book I read recently mentioned this classic hymn that is a great source of comfort in hard times:
How Firm a Foundation – attributed to John Keith (public domain)
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
“The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”
