Is He Worthy?

5 min read

9 As for me, I will declare this forever;

I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,

10 who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,

but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”

— Psalm 75:9-10

The difference between righteousness versus wickedness is fearing the LORD versus not fearing the LORD.

Fear of the LORD means to understand that if it were not for God’s sovereign will, the entire world would crumble into chaos and destruction. God is the One who brings order to the natural universe and to our world. Natural disasters do happen because the world is broken due to sin. But without the hand of Christ governing this universe, there would only be God and oblivion (Colossians 1:17).

Fear of the LORD means to understand that He is the source of morality. The ideas of what are morally good or bad come from Him. Those ideas did not evolve from nothing, just as all life did not evolve from nothing. Of course, crime, oppression, and injustice are rampant because of sin. But without the hand of Christ over the affairs of humanity, would justice ever be found?

Fear of the LORD means to understand just how much God loves us—to understand how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know His love that surpasses all knowledge. Our God who created the heavens and the earth is mindful of each and every one of us, and He loves each and every one of us—so much so, He sent His one and only Son to suffer His wrath in our place, so that we might have the opportunity to be reconciled to Him.

Wickedness begins when people deny that the natural and moral order of this world has been established by God. Without acknowledging the presence of God, every good thing is subject to corruption.

Jesus Christ and His Church stand in the gap of ignorance and corruption. God forbid that nonbelievers should do a better job of standing in the gap than Christians. God forbid that Christians should ever be the promoters of ignorance and corruption.

The sovereignty of Almighty God is revealed in the fear of the LORD. We see His sovereign hand at work and His mighty works on display when we truly fear the LORD. When we fear the LORD, we understand: He is worthy.

Father, You are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. You created all things. The very word “existence” has meaning because of You. Blessed are You God, Creator of heaven and earth, Giver of life, Author of our salvation, Forgiver of our sins, Redeemer of our souls, Guide of our lives. You are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus’s name. Amen.