Fear the Lord

Jonah 1:9
So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

Like Jonah, our sin causes us to run from God. All those around us may see the shipwreck coming but we could be fast asleep and numb to God. This sinful conditions does not change who we are - Jonah was still a Hebrew and we are still Christians. However this does change our relationships with God drastically. We move from a reverent fear of God to a terrifying fear of God. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," (Hebrews 10:31). In this fearful moment, Jonah acknowledges that he has nowhere to run. God is God in heaven, on sea and on dry ground. As David wrote in Psalm 139:7-12,
"7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
And yet God was gracious in saving Jonah from the stormy shipwreck, the raging sea and even the whales teeth and digestive track! Doesn't this reveal something amazing?
Our great fears are most realized not when a sinner turns back to God, but when he or she refuses to! Guilt and shame are small prices to pay for the gracious restoration of the sinner who repents - and even these God graciously cleanses away. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water," (Heb. 10:22). What an awesome God we serve.

Father - wake me up and help me realize my sin. Fill me with a reverence for You and turn my fears to repentance. Show me Your mercy and let me once again proclaim Your grace. Amen.