Glimpses in a Loud and Scary Thing

About a month ago I was out mowing our lawn for only the 4th time this year (one of the benefits of one of the worst droughts in a while). As I was mowing, Rebecca brought Annabelle out to sit on the porch to "watch daddy". As I mowed back and forth across her line-of-sight; her reaction to the noise of the lawnmower got me thinking. Initially she was afraid, but since she was with her mommy, she didn't break down into tears. She began to smile and wave at me as she got more and more used to the noise of the mower.

At first the mower was a loud, scary thing for her. But after she watched it go back and forth in the hands of her daddy her fear began to subside. It made me think of my relationship with the Lord. Sometimes in life I encounter "loud, scary" things. It might be a situation at work or with a family member. It might be a tragedy that strikes close to home. It might be one of those events that you read about in the headlines. Whatever it is, it seems loud and scary to me. But just as  the lawnmower turned and did my bidding that evening, so do all the loud and scary things in my life turn and do the bidding of my Heavenly Father.

It reminds me of these verses in Luke 12:6-7, "“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” He knows. He cares. He is in control of all the circumstances of my life.

It's interesting that in the two verses prior to these, Luke 12:4-5, Jesus says, "““I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” He knows. He knows my heart and my actions. He cares. He cares about how I treat others, and what I do. This picture of God seems different, more intimidating, less nice. Here Jesus is speaking of God casting people into hell. He is a God to be feared.

It is true that God takes human sin very seriously. But the most interesting thing is that these words are on the lips of Jesus. Jesus who is God, God in flesh. He came to earth to take the penalty for human sin so that people don't have to if they believe in Him. He is the ultimate expression of God's love. Ultimately I can trust the love of God not because he takes care of all the "loud, scary" things in my life. But I can trust the love of God because He came to earth as a man and took the full penalty for human sin on Himself.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8