Not a Tame God

Put the Fear of God Back in this Place!

When you hear the phrase, “fear of God”, what springs to mind? Do you think hell, fire and brimstone? Do you remember a nun shaking a ruler at you? Some people discover God’s love after a lifetime lived in dread of a vengeful God. But many of us in the church in America became so accustomed to thinking of God as a doting daddy that we lost sight of the complexity and mystery of who He really is.

He’s Not a Tame Lion

Sometimes “fear of God” is simply explained as “loving reverence”. But that dilutes the power and majesty of God. When C.S. Lewis describes Aslan, the Christ-like lion in his Narnia series, he often qualifies the description of Aslan’s goodness with the reminder, “He’s not a tame lion, you know.” Oh how easy it is to define God and put Him neatly in a box! We want to contain Him so that we can pull Him out whenever it suits us.

A Multifaceted Diamond

Though it can be confusing to understand and balance the different aspects of God’s character, knowing God should be our life’s mission. If we sincerely want to love and serve Him, we must get to know God as He is, not as we imagine Him to be. The Names of God Life Group is getting to know God better by studying the various names the Bible attributes to God. By learning these, they get a clearer and more beautiful understanding of God. Just as an exquisitely cut diamond has many facets, these names represent various aspects of God’s character. The facets (all the facets), are what give the stone its brilliance and sparkle.

Questions to Consider

• With what aspect of God am I most comfortable?
• What description of God do I find most distasteful?
• Am I willing to discover and worship God as he really is instead of God as I imagine Him?