Fearing God. About a week ago, I was at youth group listening to one of the missionaries we get the pleasure of working with while down in New Orleans. The day was pretty normal and just winding down. As he spoke, he mentioned the idea of “fearing God”. Now this was a concept I never truly understand. I had always wanted to know more about it, I just never took the time to research the topic in the Bible. Just as I was thinking about that, it began to rain. I could hear the rain drops hitting the windows on the ceiling like tiny pellets. Each one hitting the glass at a faster tempo as the minutes passed. The clouds became very dark and the thunder and lightening came next. When I was younger, my mom always told me that the angels were bowling, and that was why the thunder was so loud and the lightening was so bright. To give you all some background, I am terrified of storms. Not just storms, but specifically tornadoes. As youth group was finishing, the rain subsided. My friend and I had just walked outside. All of a sudden, I heard sirens. I knew exactly what they were My worst nightmare. I knew there was going to be a storm, I just had no idea how bad it would be. I then got an alert on my phone saying there was a Tornado Warning for me area and that we needed to take shelter. Just then, the lights began to flicker and the power went out. We all rushed into one of the hallways within the church and covered our heads. I was having a panic attack and I didn’t really understand how people could be taking this so tightly. People were laughing and talking casually with each other like it was no big deal. I was absolutely terrified. I cried out to God and asked him to protect me and help me to find peace amidst the storm. Once it was okay for us to leave the hallway, we learned about how the tornado had ripped part of the roof off of the school I attend and it had made a mess of the neighborhood right next to the church, as well as the community pool and park.
As I got into my friends car, I realized God had taught me such a valuable lesson. First and most importantly, he taught me exactly how He wants us to fear him. Fearing God doesn’t mean we are afraid to talk to him or trust him. Fearing God ultimately means that we are aware of his power, we are aware that he is able to completely wipe us all out, we are aware that He can control every aspect of our lives, and that alone should make us change our ways immediately. But it doesn’t stop there. We are aware of all of those things, yet we also understand that because of his love and his plan for our lives, he chooses to cover us with his grace and to love us unconditionally all of the days of our lives. After a few days passed after the tornado, we were able to look at the path it took. It was incredible. The tornado path went directly around the church. God protected me and everyone in the church. He has a plan for everyone. If you have breath in your lungs, he has an amazing plan for you. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, and you are absolutely never too far gone to receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior. He will protect you and sustain you. Because Jesus is everything. Will always be everything. Has always been everything you’ve ever wanted and needed in your life. He WILL bring peace beyond the depths of your understanding. He will sustain you and satisfy you all the days of your life. Never give up hope. God is working out his plan for your life right now. As you read this. God is working. He will always come through. He will never EVER fail. God is always in control. No matter how dark the storms of life may look, he will bring you through it. He is and will always be the light in the darkness you are longing for.
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
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