God is for us

Is God angry? I suppose it depends on whom you ask. Several of the pastors of my youth certainly thought God was angry. Their red-faced rants were only a foretaste of the divine anger waiting to be poured out upon those of us who did not behave. The guy who screamed that we were abominations, caught in sin, as we walked through downtown Philadelphia last week sure thought God was angry. According to him, God was about to bring a big smack-down on everyone, except him of course. The woman who accosted me at the end of my first sermon post-Katrina at the altar on that sweltering Sunday in week one of three weeks without electricity sure thought God was angry. He had destroyed the better part of lower New Orleans because he hated the people who lived there; oh, and he hated the things they did too. The people of Westboro Baptist Church certainly think God is angry. In their mind, God hates America. They have a sign on their church building that proclaims as much and they make sure they show up at funerals so that we know it too.

It seems that everywhere you look, you can find someone saying God is angry. I wave my hand. Shrug my shoulders and move on. That’s crazy talk. God isn’t angry. He is a God of love and grace. I am steeped in good, solid, biblical teaching when I affirm that God is anything but angry. . .until I mess up. . .again. I lose my temper with my six-year-old son for being nothing short of a six-year-old boy with his emotions and actions. I chastise my seven-year-old daughter ungraciously because she acts like a seven-year-old girl and loses her lip balm for the hundredth time. I am less than understanding when my wife stops up the kitchen sink using the garbage disposal for what it was made to do: dispose of food. Oh, and all of that was on Sunday afternoon after I stood and encouraged people to open their lives to God. So let’s add hypocrite to my list of shortcomings.

Suddenly, I am not so sure God is loving and gracious. It is beginning to feel like I need to brace myself for a divine smack-down. I deserve it. I can almost feel the warmth of the fires from below licking at the soles of my shoes. What a day to choose not to wear my cowboy boots. At least with them I would have a bit more insulation under my feet. A shortcoming or two under my belt and suddenly I am not so sure that God isn’t angry. He has every right to be. After all, I have failed him. I have failed to measure up, failed to be a good husband, a great father, a positive example for those I lead. I have failed and I am a failure. I brace myself for the impact. . . but then it does not come. I peek out from behind cowering arms and trembling hands. I listen for the demanding and demeaning voice of correction, but it does not come. Rather, what I hear is a voice of love: agreement with the severity of my actions, certainly, but loving in its tone and affirming in its demeanor. Welcoming arms embrace me and a strong sense of acceptance washes over me. I hear a soothing voice reminding me that I am loved. I am special. I am important. I am these things and more, not because of what I do or do not do. My performance is secondary and my acceptance is not dependent upon it.  No. I am welcomed into the arms of my heavenly Father because the reality is that God truly is a God of love and grace; oh, and he isn’t angry.

A fellow traveler,

Blake

What’s my next step?

We encourage you to consider engaging in the following as a way of handing off faith in your family.

Pray the disciple’s prayer:  Life was meant to be lived with God who is loving and gracious. However, we do not naturally relate to God in this way. We often approach God as if he cared more about our performance than our person. This week, consider encouraging your child to approach God as the one who is loving and gracious by leading him to memorize and pray the disciple’s prayer (Matthew 6.9-13). Look for opportunities to pray this with your child at key moments, such as at bedtime, being open to discussing the deeper meanings of what it means to approach God in the way Jesus describes.

We encourage you to consider engaging in the following as a way of deepening your own faith.

Sit with God:  Throughout history, the common view of most religions has been that the gods are angry and they need to be appeased. Deities are more concerned with our proper behavior than our person. However, with the birth of Jesus, the proclamation was made that God was not angry. Rather, God is loving, good, and concerned with us. However, it is often difficult to approach God in this manner for we seem to have the image of an angry, performance-driven God written into the depths of our soul. This week, consider setting aside time to be with God. Use this time to sit with him doing nothing but enjoying his presence. Set aside all performance so that you can experience his unconditional favor. You might do this by finding a quiet place and reading Luke 4.18-19 aloud. If you have not sat with God before, limit your time to 5 minutes. Do not try to force anything. Just be open to God’s presence. Over time and with practice, you will discover that you can quickly and easily become aware of God and that when you sense God’s presence his overture for you is one of love.