People
are afraid these days. The politics of fear seem to be running our country. This
political season has seen candidates openly criticize each other because he or
she will take us some place horrible. People tremble. Years ago I sat in the
living room with a family on an election night much like the one we’ll
experience tonight. The preferred candidate of one person in the room was going
to lose. They were distraught. They went into their bedroom and closed the
door. They were overcome by fear. They trembled.
As a
follower of Jesus, we need not be overcome by fear of anything! Really!!
Nothing!! At the cross sin was defeated, and in the resurrection the death that
goes with it. So while there are many things that should disturb us; politics
and politicians, war, racism, poverty, injustice, the dismantling of marriage, and
unrighteousness at every level, there is only one thing should make us tremble.
What is that, you may ask?
God.
Tremble at God. Tremble at the awful beauty and holiness and power and majesty
and magnificence of God. He should make us tremble. Our knees ought to knock,
and our bodies should writhe--the meaning of the Hebrew word for tremble--when
we ponder the awful beauty and holiness of almighty God. Jesus said, “But I will show you whom you should fear:
Fear him who, after the killing
of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5). The Psalmist puts it this
way, “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord…” (Ps 114:7). “Tremble
before him, all the earth” (Ps 96:9) says the Psalmist again [same Hebrew
word]. Ironically, where there is godly trembling, there is deep love, deep
joy, deep hope, and deep worship (Deut 6:2; Ps 96:9; Ps 147:10-11). God is not
trivial. Before Him, we tremble! And in our trembling, we take comfort.
What
makes your heart quake? The mismanagement of the government? The presence of
unrighteousness? The reality of injustice? The wrong candidate getting into
office? “Do not fret because of evil men…” (Ps 37:1-4) says the Psalmist. Instead,
trust in the Lord. The government and our country is in his hands (cf Isa
45:1-7). We need not fear evil, evil people, evil policies, or evil actions. While
standing for righteousness, we need only fear God. And in that trembling we’ll
find real hope, real joy, real peace, and real meaning in life. On this
election day, what makes you tremble?
Note: First posted at Moses Lake Alliance Church, November 7, 2016. I decided to post it here on my blog in light of the election in Alabama, December 2017.
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