God's Story and The Terror of His Majesty

John 21: 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (NIV)

Everyone loves a good story. Characters who are interesting; a plot that develops well, surprises and twists and turns. Something to keep your attention and maybe make you wonder, or dream, or dare to believe. Well, God Almighty is writing a story beloved. It is a story filled with interesting characters, a well developed plot and enough redemption to make you believe. But it is a grand story; not a short story. Sometimes it is disappointing to realize that the part we have been written in for may not be as big as we like to think. Because the sad thing is that we can often interfere in the story God is writing. Because of free will, we can walk out the will God intended for us. God will keep on writing of course and use even our disobedience to His eventual glory. But oh, if we could ever let the master write and accept the assurances He has given us that what He writes for us, is always in our best interest:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8: 28 (NIV)

That promise alone should be enough to assuage any concerns we might have about the part God intends for us to play in His grand story. But we can get so distracted with ourselves, with our own sense of importance, with our never-ending pride. We can try to take the pen from the hand of God and insist that we know better or even worse, that we know the mind of God. How many times have we all witnessed people clearly operating in manners that are not godly yet insistent that they are doing His will? How much rotten fruit have we seen borne in people convinced that God is on their side? God is not on your side beloved! He is not a respecter of persons. The question is if you are correctly on God's side! Are you allowing the Master to write; or are you usurping the pen? Job has some choice words for us today:

"Are you defending God with lies? Do you make your dishonest arguments for his sake? Will you slant your testimony in his favor? Will you argue God's case for him? What will happen when he finds out what you are doing? Can you fool him as easily as you fool people? No, you will be in trouble with him if you secretly slant your testimony in his favor. Doesn't his majesty terrify you? Doesn't your fear of him overwhelm you? Your platitudes are as valuable as ashes. Your defense is as fragile as a clay pot. Job 13: 7-12 (NLT)

It certainly seems sometimes as if we operate without being terrified at the majesty of God. We become more overwhelmed with our own bloated sense of importance within the story HE is writing. I have seen people lie and cheat on behalf of God. I have seen people hurt others within the body of Christ on behalf of God. I have seen bullying behavior, threatening behavior, and completely ungodly behavior wrapped up in pseudo-piety that amounts to platitudes as worthless as ashes.

I am sure there are plenty of Biblical figures we can think of that would have had different ideas for their story. I am sure Joseph must have been tempted to take the pen out of the hand of God, in fact one time the Bible says he did:

And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it." Genesis 40: 14-15 (NLT)

Joseph was no plaster saint; he was human. And obviously after 10 years in prison he had enough. God knew however that it would be two more years before Joseph would be released. That was the story God was writing. We do not know why. God could have pushed the impending famine up two years instead of making Joseph wait. But maybe those two years are what finally made Joseph who he was. Maybe he still had some bitterness towards his brothers for selling him into slavery of against Potiphar's wife for having him falsely imprisoned. Maybe it took those last two years for Joseph to hand the pen back to the Master so He could finish this part of Joseph's story. Maybe it took those last two years for Joseph to fully realize the terror of the majesty of Almighty God.

That terror is not fear of God. God doesn't want us cowering in fear of who He is. He wants us to have reverent fear of forgetting who He is. I am sure that Joshua must have been confused by the story God was writing for him at Jericho. Joshua is largely considered one of the greatest war strategists in the history of man. Yet here was the story God was writing:

But the L ord said to Joshua, "I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams' horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town." Joshua 6: 2-5 (NLT)

This must have made absolutely no sense to Joshua in the natural world. This must have grated against everything he knew about warfare and logic. He must have wanted to grab that pen out of God's hand and show him a better way. But instead, Joshua must not have focused on the parts of the plan that made no human sense and instead he must have focused on verse 2 "I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors." When God gives you the assurance, the details should not be relevant. Joshua understood the terror of His majesty.

Namaan was a character in the Old Testament that did not understand the majesty of God. Seeking a cure for his leprosy, Naaman was convinced by a servant to seek out the Prophet of God, Elisha. The Prophet did not come out to greet him but rather sent a servant with instructions for him to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman however was full of pride. He thought he knew a better answer. He thought he knew how his story should be written:

But Naaman became angry and stalked away. "I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!" he said. "I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the L ord his God and heal me! Aren't the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed?" So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. 2Kings 5: 11-12 (NLT)

Naaman wanted to be the writer of his small part in the grand story of God. He thought it would be more dramatic for a wave of the hand by the man of God over his leprosy and "voila!" the leprosy would be cured! But God intended a better story. A story more glorifying to God. A story about obedience to the writer. There have been countless Naaman's throughout the history of man. People who walked right out of the plans God had for them in His story. Thankfully in Naaman's case, he listened to the advice of his servants:

Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 2Kings 5: 13-14 (NIV)

We too can go forth like Naaman, questioning the story God wants to write. Thinking we know better or even worse thinking the alternate plot is really what God wants. This is not just a serious concern for the average Christian but for those in leadership and those that speak for God in the faith. The words of Jesus:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Matthew 7: 21-23 (NIV)

Merely saying "Lord, Lord" is equivalent to the platitudes worth ashes from the story of Job. A pious look or a sincere sounding prayer is not enough. Lying prostrate before the Lord is only relevant to Him if your life is lying prostrate before Him as well. Integrity is when your words line up with your actions. Sometimes Christians are fond of saying, "well God knows my heart." Yes He does and that should frighten us all. There is no solace found in the human heart:

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17: 9 (NLT)

The truly frightening thing is we can convince ourselves that we do know our heart and that somehow it is not wicked and deceitful. Even worse, we can convince ourselves that God is somehow approving of our attempts to rewrite our part in His story. We can appear solemn and devout; religious and virtuous; all the while not even seeing the fruit we are producing. Excusing it all away as somehow being the story God is writing. In the Old Testament people would rend their garments as a show of extreme sorrow or pain. Jacob rent his garments when he thought Joseph had died and David rent his when he discovered that King Saul had died. But God knows when the outward is for show:

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2: 13 (NIV)

God is not interested in lip service. The verses from Matthew 7 should serve as a frightening reminder of how serious we should be about the work God has called us to. Just thinking that people will believe they are serving God right up until the time they meet Him face to face only to discover He never knew them makes these some of the most sobering verses we can ever read. God is not secretive beloved. He has told us exactly what we need to do in order to allow Him to write our portion of His story.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NIV)

So as we examine ourselves and how we conduct our business for God, let us remember what the Lord has told us that He requires of us. Are the actions we undertake fair? Are they just? While this is a general instruction we need to pay even more attention to that which we claim to do in the service of the Lord. While justice is required of God so is mercy. Are our actions merciful? Do we walk every day and take every breath remembering how much mercy God has shown us? Again, this is even more important in the actions we undertake on behalf of God. Lastly, are our actions bathed in humility or does our flesh creep in? Are we operating out of a place of true service for the kingdom or is there unsettled bitterness, anger, or resentment infecting who we are in Christ? God doesn't operate as we do. There is nothing unjust, unmerciful or prideful about how God operates. Thus there cannot be anything unjust, unmerciful or prideful about how we should go about His business and if there is then we are trying to pry the pen out of His hand.

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 2 (NKJV)

God is the Author and finisher of our story if we allow Him to write it. He is writing a grand tale and has prescribed a part for you and me to play. That alone boggles my mortal mind. But the battle is in always remembering who is doing the writing. To remember that God alone knows the part we are to play. Dare to believe in the terror of His majesty before us. May we never lose sight of that. May we never.

Reverend Anthony Wade May 16, 2011