Hear His Word, and Tremble

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good, He's the King, I tell you."

This familiar scene from Lewis' Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe reminds of our often silly or ignorant assumptions about God. The Word of God is dangerous and the life of the Christian is not safe. Nor indeed should be expect otherwise. Psalm 29:9 says, "The voice of the Lord twists the oals and strips the forest bare." God's Word moves the hurricanes and casts down lightning bolts, hardens the hearts of kings and pierces the hearts of sinners. At his Word, we should tremble.

Jeremiah says, "You words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.."(Jeremiah 15:16) And yet Jeremiah became the picture of what happened to Judah and to those who do not heed his Word- destruction and despair. The Word of God is an awesome, consuming fire that sinful men should fear.

And yet, there is much hope for the Christian, because God promises that he will look upon the man "who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2) God promises that he will not destroy those who hope in Him and whose faith proclaims his excellencies. But his word is still true and active and piercing. And as sinners, we still experience the refining and pain of God's probing into our hearts, or at least, we should. Let us not fear his Word and therefore keep our safe distance, but let us delve deeper and let it renew and sanctify us, though it hurts and grieves us. For the Christian, there is great joy in being made more like Christ and all the burning and cutting serves us in removing that filth that poisons us.

Many a pharoah and Belshazzar heard God's Word and balked in prideful disbelief. Let us not be counted among those whom Mrs. Beaver calls silly, but let us approach his Word with a contrite heart "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19)

I love this poem so much, because although we are expected to suffer as Christians, we have hope and there is a purpose to it, whether God is rooting out our sin or whether we are being tried in our faith:

I stood a mendicant of God before his royal throne
And begged Him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own.
I took the gift from out his hand, but as I would depart
I cried, "But, Lord, this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.
This is a strange and hurtful gift, which though hast given me."
He said, "My child, I give good gifts and gave my best to thee."
I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed, I learned to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,
He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.

~Martha Snell Nicholson

Deo Gratias.