Drawing Near To God

I carried that idea with me when I got a job at Great America, they asked where I wanted to work.

I could have done the grounds keeping- they had the best after parties, which was very attractive to a 18 year old kid

I could have done games, they had a lot of the good looking girls, another thing attractive to a young man.

I could have done food- I loved to eat, so that was attractive also.

But I chose rides, and in fact asked for the tallest rides and coasters to work on.

The man interviewing me was surprised and said most people avoid working the tall rides because they are afraid of heights. I said, “I’m terrified of heights, that’s why I want to be there so I face my fear.”

That’s a young man’s bravado talking, but it was a continuation of my grandfather’s lesson about fear.

Most people can’t face their fears like that.

If I say the words spider, most people shudder.

If I say the word snakes, most people cringe.

If I say there is a mouse running between the chairs right now, some will jumped on their chairs.

This is how people, and even those who have surrendered to Jesus, treat God.

They see the lightening and cringe.

They hear the thunder and cower.

They feel the weight of HIS presence, and run.

The fear Moses is talking about here is not a fear that makes you run, it’s a fear that makes you be careful and prepare.

Part of firefighting training is learning ladders, and you learn ladders by raising an extension ladder and climbing up 3 ½ stories, while carrying another ladder to the roof, setting it on the roof, climbing up the roof ladder to the peak of the roof, and then taking everything back down. All of this is done with full gear, weight about 40-50 pounds.

My first time up that ladder, I was shaking. I got to the top by just focusing on grabbing the next rung. I very slowly and carefully transitioned from the extension ladder to the roof ladder. Then I was at the top of the roof, then the next team member comes up and passes you on the ladder, meaning you have to lean way over to let them get pass you, and then climb back down.

I got to the bottom of the roof ladder and then have to transition to the extension ladder for the 3 ½ story climb down and just froze. I couldn’t imagine how I was going to make the transition without loosing my grip and falling. The instructor at the peak of the roof talked me through it and I was able to complete the task, and never had another problem with the ladders because now I knew what to do and had confidence in the procedures I had to follow to be safe while respecting the potential danger of working at heights.

This is the kind of fear that Moses is referring to here in Exodus. It’s a moment of pause that makes you really think about what you are about to do. It’s a fear that makes you be careful so that you don’t get hurt or cause hurt to others.

But too many people have the other, spiritually unhealthy and wrong fear reaction when it comes to God, and usually it’s for two reasons.

B. Guilt- they know that they have sinned and fear God’s reaction.