An Encounter with God

UV 3535/10000. An Intimate  Encounter with God

 

Then the Lord passed in front of him, and proclaimed, “ The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth (faithfulness);

 

Exodus 34 v 6  

 

                       People talk of a "God concept" without realizing that God is too mind boggling for us to be able to hold Him or even a single aspect of Him in our minds.  He conceives us and we cannot conceive Him or reduce HIm to a concept.   God is the greatest paradox.  He is both compassionate and just, fierce and gracious, abundant in love, kindness and faithfulness.  The same paradoxical qualities were manifested in the Son, Jesus who is gentle, gracious, compassionate, wise, forgiving, loving and yet is fierce in His zeal towards the Father’s house and in doing His will.  Both the Father and the Son, Jesus are slow in becoming angry.  God is patient but beyond a point His patience with us ends and we need to face His wrath or anger.   It is this character of God that induces the fear or intense reverence for God as for nothing else in the universe.

 

 

                       St Paul writes that love is not jealous. Then, how can God who is defined by His love be jealous.  It is not a contradiction as may seem superficially but the word “jealous” as a description of God implies that He is zealous for His precious possession, His people, the people who acknowledge Him as “Abba, Father” and receive the Son wholeheartedly into their lives.   Unlike the rebellious and unfaithful tenants of God’s vineyard, the earth, we should be faithful in paying our rent to the Son, namely, worship and thanksgiving. 

 

                         If we are children of God, we should share His spiritual DNA and reflect His abundant life, His abounding love, kindness, faithfulness, grace and compassion.  If we are the ambassadors of Christ, we should speak and manifest His spiritual qualities in our lives.  We will not take God for granted but we will be thankful for whatever He has granted for nothing that we are or have, we have without His giving it to us.  Like Moses, we should seek to perceive the glory of God, to witness His passing in front of us.  Like Moses stood in the cleft of  a rock to perceive the passing of God in front of him, we should stand in the cleft of  our Rock, Jesus to witness the presence, the power and the passing of Jesus in front of us.