To draw closer to the Lord, we must know how much he loves and has forgiven me. The Lord has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He cares for us and is for us. However, we must also fear Him; otherwise, our faith may not endure. Those closest to God seem to be aware of the great distance between themselves and Him. Consider Moses at the burning bush, Isaiah in the temple (Isaiah 6), or the Apostle Paul, who was knocked down by a blinding light and mercifully confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus.
I once heard it said that the only difference between God and us is that God doesn’t think he is us. We often have a distorted view of who God is and believe he is more like us and thinks like us. God is gracious and condescends to love us despite our unclear perception of His character. But, as we continue our walk with the Lord, we need a clearer understanding of who we are dealing with. Moses, Isaiah, and Paul experienced wonder and awe in the presence of God, which kept them from confusing themselves with Him.
Consider when Jesus is on the boat with the disciples, and a storm threatens to destroy them. While the disciples are distressed, Jesus is sound asleep and unconcerned. When they wake Him, He says, “Peace, be still!” and calms the winds and the waves. Imagine following someone you believe to be a great prophet, only to witness Him controlling the natural elements. The disciples were initially afraid of the storm, but now they are filled with a greater fear—“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” I doubt anyone can draw close to Jesus unless there is a reverent fear of Him. This fear is not about personal punishment, as if He is coming after you, but rather a recognition of His incomparability—He is all-powerful and controls winds and waves.
This reverent fear of God is a central theme in the Old Testament—not based on our ideas about God, but on who He has revealed Himself to be. Isaiah 29:13-14 says, “And the Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men.’” We can talk about revering God, yet our hearts are far from living in that reality.
Suppose we receive Him by confessing who He is, accepting His mercy, and trusting Him by surrendering our lives. In that case, we gain comfort for every ache, guidance for every difficult journey, peace in every storm, and companionship in our lonely times. He comes close, and only because He is not like us. He is perfect, holy, and eternal. He condescends to us, takes on our humanity, dies, and rises again so that we can be born from above. We become like Him in some ways, but in others, we will never be. The promise is we will be in his presence for eternity and then, “I shall know him fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). This hope leads to reverent devotion to only one worthy of worship.
