Faith and Fear

When I was little, you could tell I believed in the destructive power of the monsters who lived beneath my bed because I would never let my ankles anywhere near the bottom of the mattress. (It’s common knowledge that bare ankles are premium monster bait — ask any child you know).

You can often tell what a person believes by what they fear.

But here’s the thing: belief isn’t always enough. It’s obvious that Herod believed in Christ’s power because of how terrified he was by it and by the room he made in his life for the possible impact of the Messiah. In fact, if belief was the only measure of orthodoxy, you could stand most modern Christians next to Herod and he would tower above them.

Remember, there’s something just as bad as disobeying God: discounting Him. I know I am guilty of that in a thousand small ways each day. In the person I ignore or the opinion I sneer at. In the unkind words I let roll from my tongue. In the prayers of thanksgiving that I don’t say because I am “too busy.”

I believe in God, but I do not fear Him — mostly because my very modern understanding of the concept of “fear” would lump God in with those monsters beneath my bed.

But what if we understood fear in a more traditional sense — awe, reverence, and wonder? “All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him.” — Psalm 72:11

When Herod heard the news of the coming of the Messiah, it compelled him to do something. Not the right thing, mind you, but something. It moved him into action.

So, then, it should move us all.

We saw his star at its rising, and have come to do him homage. — Matthew 2:2

©LPi