gorgeous glimpse

“The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord.” Acts 9:31a

 Fear: reverence and awe of God; an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat

Reverence: deep respect

Awe: deep respect mixed with wonder

Respect: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements

 My child,

You have struggled with the idea of “fearing” me. I want to help you understand this. Look at the definitions you copied down.

I don’t want you to live in fear, as in, harboring an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that I am dangerous, a threat, and likely to cause you pain. I do want you to embrace the idea of “fearing” me, though. The meaning is just completely different.  

I want you to live in awe of me. I want you to be filled with deep respect and wonder. I want to surprise you, because today you find me more beautiful than yesterday.

The more you see me for who I am, the more you will appreciate my abilities, qualities, and achievements. I want you to experience approval and pleasure when you look at me. When your eyes are fixed on me, I will eclipse your greatest expectations.

What you encounter is only a glimpse ... a faint echo ... a whisper, of who I am. But I can awaken your heart and mind, so your experience of me will both satisfy you and urge you to thirst for more.

I have made a way through Christ for you to enjoy utter peace and joy in my presence. No threats or pain. Run into my arms.

Enjoy my sustaining, comforting embrace today. Then you can walk in righteous fear – in reverence and awe of me.

I love you,

Abba

My Abba,

Thank you for the new ways you reveal yourself each day. I do find you more pleasing today than I did yesterday. I know you don’t change, but I do.

And as you change me, I escape the twisting deception that hinders my view of you. It is like you allow me to leave the chaos, smog and clamor of an earthly city with all its distractions. I no longer focus on the rubbish in the gutter or the push and pulse of the crowd.

You escort me to your sacred mountaintop. There, the comforting, clear breeze of your Spirit kisses the face of my soul. You wrap me warm in the blue blanket sky of your love.

With you, I enjoy the luminous vista of your presence. I can’t see forever, but I can see much more clearly. Your beauty always leaves me in awe.

I cannot ever anticipate exactly what is coming next. But the expectation of the unexpected is not daunting because I know we will walk through it together.

As I follow you in this adventure, my fear, dissatisfaction and restlessness melt away. Life with you leaves me at peace, neither bored nor frenzied. I see you are equipping me to experience the diverse terrain of joys and challenges that come on this journey with you.

Around the next bend in the road, I want to marvel at a fresh, inexplicable, gorgeous glimpse of your presence.

I love you,

Mollie

photo:jakobradlgruber

NLT