In recent years, I notice renewed interest in the book of Revelation. People are notoriously superstitious, and here in this sensationalistic country of ours, you can persuade many people with fear they don’t even know they have. Take, for example, the number 666. Just typing it I feel a slight pang in my solar plexus where those roller coaster butterflies tend to hide. But that fear, harmless as it may seem, is not something God is wishing upon me or using to coerce me.
God doesn’t do that.
I think it is more harmful than we realize to carry such fears. It’s like a low-grade fever making you feel bad but not knowing why, sapping joy you’d forgotten was yours. What you think of God, really, has a direct impact on the quality of your life.
The God of our own image these days has some surprisingly narcissistic qualities. Manipulative. Vindictive. Ready to strike you with lightning if you don’t obey His laws.
God doesn’t do that, either.
These ideas of God are in extreme antagonistic persuasion against the true character of God, whose name and whose nature is love. Little statements like, “God’s going to strike you with lightning if…” are still common. It’s like the number 666. We have come to think of this number as standing for Satan, and by virtue of this prolonged belief, it does represent that now. In Revelation where it originated with its dark overtones, it stood for a cruel ruler, and John portrayed him as “the beast.” I could go on, but I’ll save that for our mid-week Bible-talks. The important thing to remember is that God is more powerful than Satan. I cringe even typing that sentence, though. There is no true competition. God IS. Love IS. Nothing can change this. God has no rival.
God’s love is a lightning bolt. It is fierce in its defense of the helpless and broken, relentless in its desire to love, and piercing in its elocution of wisdom and strength. With furious compassion God’s love can break through your shattered dreams, your wounded perceptions, and your worst fears to create new life from what seemed irreconcilable.
You think you want to be reconciled with the things and people you’ve lost; but seek God more. Seek the reconciliation with God that your soul is so thirsty for, the connection you’ve either doubted or taken for granted. The Psalmist sang, “Awake, my soul!” Let God grab your attention with swift awareness, and the lasting impression will change your story. It will change the way you talk about God, the way you see life and people and circumstances. Your God connection will change the world.
Love to all,
Pastor Kim