He Cracked The Dashboard

I love my Daddy. He is a big, snuggly teady bear type of guy with a huge heart. He is probably one of the most patient people I've ever met. He will take a lot more from people that I am capable of taking, but even my sweet Daddy has a point that you don't want to cross and when you get there....you'll know. Few people have caused him to lose control of his temper, but we had an old car once that suffered the brunt of his anger as his fist came down and cracked the entire dashboard!  We laugh about it now, but I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time.

Some people anger easily and some don't. Some people get offended easily and some don't. If you are one who is easily offended, you may want to stop reading here (disclaimer....you have been warned).

God is wrathful. Much like my sweet earthly Daddy, God can take a lot from us, but He has a line that you don't want to cross. Many people don't like to think about the wrath of God. It is easy to think about all the "good" things, like His faithfulness, mercy, holiness, wisdom, and love. Those types of things are the ones that give us the warm fuzzies as we leave church bolding singing, "He has made me glad, he has mad me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad!" When you mention the wrath of God, you get a weird, cockeyed look from people as if you've grown a second head.

They don't want to hear it. It scares them. It makes them uncomfortable. We don't "typically" talk about those types of things even in "Christian circles." 

But we should. "Why?" you ask (and I'm SO glad you asked!)?

1. People who claim to be Christians and yet reject the wrath of God may as well reject Him entirely. You can't pick which parts of God you'll take and which one's you'll leave at the store. He's not produce!

2. The wrath of God draws clear lines. If you obey God and are not His enemy, you have no need to worry about being on the receiving end of His wrath. His wrath is not for His children, it's for His enemies.

3. If you are a Christian, the enemies of God are YOUR enemies, too. God's wrath is just another promise of how He will take care of you and will ultimately win in the end (if you're from the old-school, this is where the white hankies start to fly!).

4. It is only when you fully embrace God's wrath as a part of His attributes that you fully understand the sacrifice He made in offering His Son to die for your sins when He very easily could have raised His mighty fist and crushed the world! Instead, He chose to offer another way....another chance. (You can thank my dear husband for that final point.)

Here's what His word says... 

Nahum 1:2-8

2 The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies! 3 The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. 4 At his command the oceans and rivers dry up, the lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade, and the green forests of Lebanon wilt. 5 In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. 6 Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. 7 The LORD is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him. 8 But he sweeps away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He pursues his foes into the darkness of night.  

Thank you, God, for your plan to take care of our enemies once and for all. Thank you also for your plan to save our souls once and for all. While the thought of your wrath makes us cringe sometimes, the knowledge of your love for us is far greater. Thank you for your boundaries and letting us know what they are. I accept your wrath just as I accept your love. I want all of you. Nothing else will do.