psalm 119:8

8 - I will

keep thy statutes:

O forsake me not utterly.

Verse 8 is somewhat startling to the 21st century Christian in the Western world. There are two reasons for this: 1) there is a declaration of a child of God to keep the laws of God and not chaff at them, and, 2) an immediate realization of the fact that God is sovereign.

For many years, higher learning and modern philosophy has been pounding the brains of our children and our society that "truth is relative." Whatever works for me might not work for you and whatever works for you might not work for me. So everybody just has to find their sweet spot and march to the beat of their own drummer and everybody will remain happy.

Psalm 119:8 says otherwise. It states that we will not do what we feel is best for our lives, we will submit to laws that were put in place by the Creator of the universe and are set forth in the words He breathed into life for us that are in the Book.  

However, instead of being pleased with that decision, a holy fear is immediately expressed. One that seems to have become lost in our world, our society, and perhaps even our churches. The "fear of God" is not a term you hear much anymore. It's more about "seeker-sensitive" language and "non-threatening" verbiage. It has even been suggested that we remove the term "discipleship" from our curriculums and study since that word implies discipline and, consequently, is a turn-off for many people.

It is quite unfortunate that the "fear of God" has become such an old-fashioned concept. Because even though it may not be part of our "relative truth that works for us," it is still necessary for a child of God. The Psalmist was a man after God's own heart--he was favored by God and anointed by God--and even with all of that, his plea to the Creator was "O! Forsake me not utterly! Don't leave me! Don't let me become independent. Even though I am embracing every part of Your law, I could still be forsaken! Don't do it, God...let me abide in You."

Do I believe we are saved by works? And we have to keep doing, doing, doing in order to be loved by God? Absolutely not!

But we must not forget that God is not American and His Kingdom is not a democracy. 

And a healthy fear and respect for His infinite power might not be such a bad concept to restore in our lives.

© 2012 by Melani Brady Shock