Great And Dreadful

I wonder quite often if I have a correct concept of who God is. He is described many ways in scripture. I know that His mercies and compassions are renewed daily; with the rising of the sun to the setting of the same He never changes. I depend upon this revelation of Him.


But, while reading Daniel last evening I "stumbled" upon something Daniel said in his prayers that I have never seen before. In Daniel 9 he says, " O LORD, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments;


Do we have a healthy fear of the dread of the LORD? I think most unbelievers do not; most are happy enough just to escape hell. There is much more to the character of God than we hear from the pulpit.


A dreadful God? If anyone in Scripture knew God, Daniel did. His prophecies and dreams were even mentioned by Christ Himself when He was here on earth the first time. Daniel is also mentioned by God as one of the three whose prayers would only save themselves should they intercede on behalf of a lost world when the time for judgment comes; the other two being Moses and Elijah. The word dreadful as used in the Hebrew means One who is terrible, One that is to be feared, is formidable and to make afraid.


Daniel also understood God in this context. He had a deep revelation of His desires, His character and what pleases and displeases Him. It is good to pay attention to these matters! We need a healthy fear of God. Yes, He is full of compassion, His mercies endure forever, but when it comes time to pass judgement He does not change for individuals or for nations.



How can we get to know such a God? Psalm 25:14 says,
"The secret of the LORD is with those that fear Him..."



He speaks secretly to those who spend quality time with Him. It takes more than a casual acquaintenance or just to acknowledge that He is God. The secret of the LORD comes by becoming more intimate with Him. The only way we achieve this is by spending time in His presence; listening to Him, reading His written word to us. The secret means  He will speak hidden truths to us as indiviuals and give us direction and counsel and counseltation. 



There are things God reveals to me that even my spouse is not aware of. It comes from having intimacy with Him; loving Him with all of our soul and all of our might. It is worth the effort! He has rewards we are not even aware of. 


Knowing Him removes all fear, doubt and unbelief. He is a rewarder of those who dilligently seek Him.