Fear and Great Joy

Pondering Scripture

Recently I have been intrigued with Matthew 28:8, So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.” When these faithful followers of Jesus first understood that Christ was raised from the dead, it produced an extremely unusual combination of emotions in them. One would hardly think that “fear” and “great joy” would be compatible feelings to experience at the same time. You would think you could only experience one of them at a time. Fear is viewed as a negative emotion while joy is what everyone desires in their life. Yet an encounter with the risen Christ is likely to produce both feelings simultaneously.

If you do not experience a holy trembling when you relate to Christ, you probably don’t know Him well enough. God expects us to tremble at His word (Isaiah 66:2). The Lord also asked through His prophet Jeremiah, “Do you not fear me? . . Will you not tremble at My presence?” (Jeremiah 5:22). Clearly to know God is to fear Him. For He is awesome. Yet it is also true that “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). The nature of God is such that, when you encounter Him, you can be filled with fear and great joy at the same time. Our problem often is that we lean toward one or the other. Yet when we experience all that God is, we will both revere Him and enjoy His presence at the same time. God is far too awesome and infinite to be limited to just one feeling! (That is also why singing nothing but praise music in every worship service hinders God’s people from fully experiencing who God is).

Experiencing God on the Road

The month of January was full and rewarding. I was delighted to see my new book, Unlimiting God: Increasing Your Capacity to Experience the Divine released. God gave me a deep conviction that many Christians are too easily satisfied with their current walk with God and I pray this book will challenge and enable many people to go to the next level in their walk with God. I also had the privilege of teaching a group of CEOs in Atlanta about being spiritual statesmen in the marketplace. It is exciting to see how God is using business people to impact the culture of North America.

I was also delighted to speak at a men’s conference in Nashville along with my father and oldest son Mike. Three generations of Blackaby men! Those are moments to treasure! People responded so well that we have already been asked to return next year and add my second son Daniel to the team as well! I also enjoyed speaking with my father in Spartanburg, South Carolina on “hearing God’s voice.” The people were very responsive.

I’d appreciate your prayers for February as I’ll be in several cities including Baton Rouge, Louisiana with my father. Then my father and I, along with my son Daniel, will be traveling throughout the Philippines. Pray for our travel and that the Lord would give us strength and words to share in the numerous meetings we will be holding. My son Daniel will also be speaking with us and that should prove to be a special time!

Reading

This month I have been reading, Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Here was a man whose lifelong ambition was to become the wealthiest man in America. He succeeded in his goal but his treatment of his wife and children as well as his unwillingness to share his wealth for the betterment of others is sobering. It reminds us that the worst thing that could happen to some of us would be to achieve all of our goals but miss out on God’s will. I also had the opportunity to preview an upcoming book edited by David Dockery and Roger Duke entitled, A Prince of Preachers: John A. Broadus. This is a series of articles by various writers on the life and contribution of one of the early Southern Baptist leaders. While largely unknown today, Broadus was used mightily by God during the 19th century. His life, in contrast to that of Vanderbilt, shows what God can do through the life of someone who is wholly consecrated to God. It challenged me to always strive to give God my best as well.

Posted by Richard Blackaby at 12:44 pm