Episode Transcript  

One

Why do so many people think the very idea of God is boring? 

Maybe it’s because they’ve been given the wrong image of God. On the one hand, some people think of God as a God of Wrath. This is a God of jealousy, power, commandments, and punishments. A God who will throw you into an eternal torture chamber unless you follow whatever arbitrary rules He dreams up. That’s a God who inspires fear, but not love. It’s not an attractive God. If that God didn’t exist, you’d be relieved. And if He did exist, you’d prefer not to think about it.

On the other side of the spectrum, people have this idea of Buddy Jesus, Jesus, meek and mild. He’s kind and generous, and supportive, and he makes you feel good about yourself. That’s a God who inspires love, but not fear. Like a kid’s stuffed animal or security blanket. It’s warm and comforting, but eventually you outgrow it.

And a lot of people, when they get to high school or college, think they’ve outgrown their faith, when all they’ve actually done is outgrow Buddy Jesus, who isn’t real anyway.

Two

On the mountain of Tabor, we see by Peter’s reaction that the real God is very different. He is a God who inspires fear and love.

Remember what Peter says? “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid.”

So he’s terrified by the awesome majesty of Jesus in His glory. But he doesn’t want to leave. The true God will terrify you when you meet Him. And He’ll also fill you with a consuming desire to stay with Him forever. He is a mystery that frightens but attracts. This is the God you will someday meet.

Three

So the Real God is infinitely more than a God of wrath or a Special Friend - He is overwhelmingly awesome

He’s the Person who built and controls the Universe. He can do anything. He knows everything. He is All-Merciful, All-forgiving. He loves Galaxies into existence. And he died for you in particular.

What will it be like when you come into the presence of that God? Well, can you remember the tallest person you ever stood next to? Some of us have stood next to people who make us feel small by comparison, and those people are maybe just a little more than a foot taller than we are. Now, imagine how it would feel to talk to someone as big as a house, now someone bigger than a skyscraper, bigger than the Earth, bigger than the Sun, bigger than Solar Systems, or Galaxies, or Galaxy clusters. Imagine someone bigger than the Universe

Imagine you could meet someone that big, and when you approached Him, He looked at you, and knew everything about you. Imagine how intimidating, honestly, how terrifying that would be. How intimidating and terrifying that will be. Because it’s going to happen.

Four

But then imagine, as you’re cowering before this supreme, Infinite Person staring straight at you, in all your cosmic tininess

Then imagine that He smiles and says, “I love you. I’m glad you exist. I died for you.”

Talk about the ultimate validation! You know you belong in the Universe when God says you belong there.

There is a large mosaic in the Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor depicting Jesus surrounded by Peter, James, John, Moses, and Elijah. And under it are the words spoken by the Father, “This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I delight.” Did you catch that? In whom I delight!

I was sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee at Capernaum, where Jesus took a little child and put his arms around him and said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to him. Imagine what that child felt when God picked him out, wrapped his arms around him, and looked into his eyes. You are a beloved son or daughter of God, and he not only died for you, but he also delights in you!

We tend to like people who like us. We tend to love people who love us. How could you not love this infinite Being who has noticed you, and delighted in you, and loved you?

Five

The Only Fitting Attitude Before God: Holy Fear and Whole-Hearted Love

God is at once blazing majesty and boundless tenderness, so the attitude that prepares us to meet Him can never be one-dimensional. It must hold together reverent fear and generous love.

How do we cultivate fear, the awe of reverence? Treat His Name as weighty. If I won’t toss my mother’s name around carelessly, why would I reduce the word “God” to an “OMG” filler? Pray like He is King, not a concierge. Asking boldly is fine, but always with the humility that says, “Thy will be done.”

Approach the Eucharist as a miracle, not a routine. You are touching “the consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). Walk up the aisle as though your next breath depends on His mercy, because it does.

How do we cultivate love? Love matures when we stop calculating what we “get out of” God and start asking what will delight Him. Give Him unhurried time. Prayer isn’t a spiritual vending machine; it’s time with the Friend who loved you first.

Finally, return the generosity you’ve received. Think of the warmth you feel when someone simply wants to be with you:

Recently, one of my adult daughters called to bow out of a long-planned mountain hike. Her schedule is brutal—full-time job, Ph.D. work in physics, so I said I understood. I did. Yet a quiet ache remained: she goes hiking often, just not with me. My longing was for her presence, not her performance. If a flawed father can feel that pang, imagine the divine Father whose every breath sustains us. He, too, longs for our company. When we choose prayer, sacrifice, or service purely to be with Him, we answer that longing, and love is kindled in us.

Suggested Resolutions:

Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you. 

• Cultivate reverence for God by being careful about how you use His name. Don’t just throw it around as a filler word.

• Love matures when we stop calculating what we “get out of” God and start asking what will delight Him. Give Him unhurried time.

If you enjoyed this meditation, subscribe below.