Who Can Stand?

"Then the kings of the earth

and the great ones

and the generals

and the rich and the powerful,

and everyone, slave and free,

hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks,

'Fall on us and hide us from the face

of him who is seated on the throne,

and from the wrath of the Lamb,

for the great day of their wrath has come,

and who can stand?'"

Revelation 6:15-17 ESV

I love to think about the loving, gracious and merciful God who sent His Son to die for me so I might enjoy a relationship with Him.  It warms my heart to think of the generosity of God and how natural it is for Him to give good gifts to His children. (Matthew 7:11)  A smile comes to my face when I think of the attentiveness of my heavenly Father and how He doesn't miss a thing that goes on in my life.  (Matthew 10:29-31)  These are all attributes of God that bring joy to my heart so I dwell on them often.

In contrast, the part of God that is not so pleasant to think about but as equally as present is His righteous, just side.  To be honest, as much as I know I belong to Him through faith in Jesus Christ and that the blood of Jesus covers my sin so I escape judgment, it still brings a sense of awesome fear and respect to think that God is so holy and perfectly just.

While this aspect of God may be difficult to accept, I know that those rulers who are bent on destruction, the sources of evil that seem to rule this world, and the corrupt who always seem to win will one day stand before this righteous and just God.  Even though they seem to thumb their noses at God now, seeming not to care, the day will come when they will cower in fear as they stand before Him without the benefit of a Savior.  Who can stand before the Holy and Righteous God?

Temporary Reign

It aggravates me to see evil winning in this world.  It seems those who live a corrupt life are rewarded for their demented efforts.  I often see the cheaters and frauds live in luxury while those who work hard to earn a decent living barely scrape by.  It is common for the criminal justice system to let killers go in the name of human rights without a care to the effect on the victims' family.  Why does it seem evil reigns?

Even though life appears to be unfair, evil is allowed to work but by no means goes completely unchecked.  As much as the darkness bothers me, it angers God even more for He is perfectly holy.  There is no sin that will go unpunished:  Either the death penalty was served out by Jesus when He died on the cross, or it will be carried out by those who reject His free gift of salvation.  In this way, God's justice will be satisfied.

Since the reign of evil in this world is temporary, I can leave room for God's wrath and let Him handle vengeance.  If I take matters into my own hands and attempt to avenge the wrongdoings of others, my sinful nature will corrupt my intentions and turn them into something ugly.  (Romans 12:17-21)  Since God will perfectly mete out justice, I can then turn my attentions to loving others even if they are hateful, murderous souls.  It is not my place to decide who receives the love of God, so it is best that I not discriminate!

Knowing God is just gives me the ability to freely love as I understand that the evil that runs rampant now will one day be vanquished.

God's Sovereignty

No one likes to suffer and it's easy to get mad at God when my life is not as comfortable as I wanted it to be.  I expect to have hard days, but when they seem to keep coming one after the other, I naturally ask God, Are You serious?  Can't I get a break?

While it's human nature to steer clear of hard times, my Good Shepherd intentionally leads me through dark valleys for my own good. (Psalm 23:4, Romans 5:3-5)  When I suffer, I learn to trust God in a way that living an easy life cannot bring about.  

Acknowledging that everything that enters into my life has been carefully screened by God for a specific purpose helps me to accept the position in which I now find myself.  Instead of fighting everything that seems bad in my life, I can then realize the good that will come out of it and embrace the hard things.  (Romans 8:28)

Knowing God is completely in control gives me the ability to receive all aspects of my life with joy.

Righteous Judgment

It is so easy for me to see the sin in those around me.  I am quick to point my finger at others as their sins seem so glaringly obvious.  If I take the time to talk to my Father about what bothers me in others, however, He will quickly reveal twice as many areas of sin in my own life.  God sure knows how to knock me down off my high pedestal!

If I am noticing a certain sin in someone else, I can be sure that it only stands out to me because I have the same problem.  My fallen nature does not allow me to judge justly, so it's better that I do not try.  (1 Corinthians 4:3-5)  

Therefore, when the gossiping mouth of a friend gets under my skin, I would be wise to let God show me my own issues with talking about others.  Or, when I sneer in disgust at a brother's problem with pornography, I had better ask God to highlight my own issues of lust.  Or when I look down on a sister's anxious ways, I can be sure that worry often visits my own heart.

Knowing God is a righteous judge gives me the opportunity to leave the job of judging in His hands.

There is no doubt the world in which I live is evil and many times it's intensity seems to grow unchecked.  The reality, however, is that the rule of darkness is temporary, God's control is complete and absolute, and His judgment is perfect.  For these reasons, I can rest assured that my job while in the midst of this dark world is to love others, trust God with my circumstances and let God be the only One who judges others.  In these ways I will glorify a God before whom no one can stand.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God with all the good and the bad in my life.

When do I get caught up in the darkness of this world, forgetting God's sovereign hand?

How am I quick to judge others?