When I was a boy, growing up in New York City, my grandmother used to take me and my siblings on day trips around the city. One day, we took a trip on the Staten Island ferry. As we moved away from the dock, I began to explore the ship. Suddenly, the ship’s horn sounded, loud and deep, signaling to all “I’m here, I’m moving.” I was stunned and a little scared, to the point that I crouched down at the sound of it.

Psalm 29, speaks to us about the thundering voice of God, and the sound is described like this:

Have you ever experienced a strong thunderstorm? I have. We tend to get a little nervous, a little scared; the lightning is so bright, the sound is so loud. We can feel the power of the storm and realize our relative weakness and insignificance before it. The thunder can make the whole house shake, it can bring us to our knees and cause the dog to cower under the bed. Little children run to their parents for protection. We find ourselves at the mercy of the storm. We can’t stop it. We can’t make it go away.

Most everyone has been afraid during natural events like this. The winds, the storms, the floods, the earthquakes, these natural phenomena are so powerful and overwhelming that we feel small and weak and powerless in their presence.

But do people in general think about the God who created what we call nature? Do they stop to consider the God who created, and is sovereign, over every molecule of all creation? If we are frightened by a little thunder, how much more ought we be fear-struck in the presence of the creator of the thunder when that same God speaks power and judgement into the world?

This is the God whom the world has forgotten. This is the God whom the world has chosen to ignore, to marginalize, to trivialize, and to eliminate from any consideration in the affairs of men. As the world puts its faith in science, in technology, in human reason apart from the wisdom of God it embraces a delusion; it thinks it understands, it believes it is in control.

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

To be fearful of someone who is infinitely greater than oneself is to understand that wisdom resides in the greater one and can only be obtained by submission to the very source of wisdom.

Only a fool ignores the creator’s power and wisdom. Only a fool would seek for wisdom in the thoughts of the finite human mind.

But even we in the church sometimes take God for granted, reducing Him to a small-“g” god we can manipulate. I can understand why the non-believing world does not fear God, but when the church loses its fear of God, we are bound for trouble. Here are three ways the church may fail to properly fear God:

1. God as Santa Claus. (If we behave, He will make us rich and happy. I’ll be good and you’ll give me stuff.)
2. God as the kindly grandfather. (We’re just unruly kids. Aren’t we cute?)
3. God as the great therapist. (We just need a little help and we’ll overcome life’s troubles and be better, nicer, happier people.)

God is so much more than these things. The God of the Bible cannot be easily comprehended. He is a supernatural, eternal, perfect being who created us for his own glory.

Romans 11:36 “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.”

As sinful creatures, we sometimes want to hide ourselves from the presence of an all-powerful God. We would prefer a God that we can control; a God we can manipulate.

Remember the Israelites gathered at Mount Sinai? The mountain is terrifying to behold: Exodus 20:18-19 (NIV) “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’”

Exodus 32:1 (NIV) When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” They make a golden calf that they can see and touch, the work of their own hands which they prefer over the thunderous God on the mountain.

As individual Christians, and as the holy catholic church, we too often try to reduce God to something smaller, less powerful, and more like us.

But, the same God who creates, the same God who judges, is also the God who saves. And it takes a supernaturally powerful God to accomplish this. God’s plan to save necessitates full payment for our sin, yours and mine. All of God’s righteous wrath has been poured out, but it has been poured out on someone else on our behalf. That One is Jesus.

Luke’s gospel tells of John the Baptist, who exhorts the people to come and repent and be baptized for sins. And into that scene walks Jesus, humbly submitting to His cousin, John, receiving baptism though He had never sinned, so that He could become our perfect substitute. Here’s the account:

Luke 3:15-17 (NIV) “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’”

3:21-22 (NIV) “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”

Next time you hear the thunder, think of the God of thunder and be glad. One day, when our Lord Jesus returns in glory, all the people on earth will fall on their knees before this terrifying God. Some will quake in fear as the awful truth dawns – God is here and He’s here to judge me. But you, Christian, you and I, though we may be trembling at the sight, will rejoice in the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus, our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend.

Not by any merit of our own, but by virtue of His precious blood, we will rise and stand before the judgement seat unafraid because Jesus paid it all. To God alone be glory both now and forevermore.