I love animals, you can ask my mom… I will save a mouse from a glue trap and set it free, so it has a chance of survival (she hates that I do that too). One of my favorite places growing up was to go to the zoo with my family. The lion exhibit was one of the more fun spots. I remember being one of those kids that would hit the glass to get the lions attention, and I would be safe and extra playful because there was a barrier, and the Lion was in an enclosure being tamed. However, if that lion was in the wild and I was in his territory you better believe there would be more respect and fear coming from my end.
A commonly used metaphor to describe God in the Bible is being a lion. Unfortunately, we tame God too. We mistake His patience for passivity and carry along with our life sinning and having fun, while knowing our God is slow to anger and very forgiving. We devalue His power and entitlement to judge. We visit God on our terms and when it is convenient to us and enclose God to our spaces and use Him for what we need at those times. You knock on the glass when you want His attention, then you spend moments with Him before you leave and go back to everyday life.
Why do we tame God? I can only assume because we live in a “feel good” society, where we allow time to self-care, do what feels right, and follow our hearts and desires. We do not want to feel judged, convicted, or shamed so we avoid those avenues at all costs. However, the root issue is we have a tainted view of God. He is the definition of love. He desires us to be everything He has created us to be. He is more focused on our sanctification than our sin. He is a just, loving, merciful, and powerful Father. He is meant to be feared and loved. We cannot idolize a Mr. Rogers image of God. He is the Lion of Judah, dangerous with his power and strength and gentle with His mercy and grace.
There needs to be an urgency to stop abusing the patience of God for passivity towards our sin. He is a patient Father, but He also is a loving Father who loves you too much to leave you broken and sinful. Stop enclosing God in your life. He cannot be tamed and should not be. Time to remove the glass and be in the presence of the living Lion.
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