Whoops, My Bad

I realized I would have to tell my mother; I had to fess up to her.

Isaiah 8:1-22

Reference: v.13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread. (TNIV Bible)

Explore: When I was a child I broke one of our dinner plates. I remember reaching up into our high cupboards to put the plate away, and then the feeling as it slipped and shattered on the floor.

In that instant I thought of all the things I should have done. I could have left the plates on the bench for someone else to put away. I could have put the plates away one at a time instead of trying to do my chore quickly. But, I had been too lazy to even pull a chair over to assist my short arms to reach the cupboard.

I realized I would have to tell my mother. She was out hanging the washing on the clothesline and had not heard the smash. I knew I had to fess up to her.

The 20 metre walk out to the clothesline was horrific. My mother is one of the most loving people I know, but she was also my parent and discipliner, and I had felt that I had let her down.

Application: Our God is the most loving god you could ever find. And yet, that does not mean we can treat Him like a best friend.

While God loves us and sacrificed everything for us, we must recognize God like a parent, willing to discipline us when necessary.

It’s great that we can sing that God is the “Lover of our Soul”, but let’s not forget that God is also someone whom we should have a healthy fear of. He is the one who commands the wind and the waves as well as cradles the children in His arms.

Often it’s easy to think of God as our bestie, but I can assure you that when we are feeling like we’re heading into a spiritual battle, it’s a great comfort to know that we have our fierce and all-powerful Creator on our side.

Prayer: Lord, You are a God to be loved and feared. May I be open to Your discipline, knowing that it can only make me stronger for You. Amen.

When have you needed to fear the Lord?

confess, discipline, fear, God, Isaiah, love