There is No One Like Our God
“Out of heaven, he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you.” Deuteronomy 4:36 (ESV).
There has never been before, nor ever will be, a God like Yahweh who has chosen a people unto Himself and proven his presence, power and faithfulness through mercy and signs and the provision of everything that was ever needed.
When a parent screams at a child who is about to run into oncoming traffic, the motivation is love and protection for the child’s well-being. We don’t often hear correction or discipline through a loving lens because of the hurt, pain, and humiliation associated with our experience with discipline.
I grew up in the era of spanking as a form of punishment. Although I do not remember ever receiving a spanking, probably because I blocked it out, I do remember my father preparing to give me a spanking, saying something like, “This hurts me more than it will hurt you.”
When I think about our heavenly Father bringing correction and discipline to our lives through the Word of God and other people in our lives, I think about the pain our sin and brokenness cause Him. God has a banqueting table of the freshest and purest soul food of grace, mercy, joy, hope, healing, and provision for us to partake of. These rich gifts come through forgiveness, love and the fruit of the Spirit. They nourish our spirit man in a deep and satisfying way.
But instead of resting in what has already been provided for us, partaking of the purest form of sustenance, we eat McDonalds, watch pornography, drink too much or press snooze again because it’s faster, easier and brings immediate momentary gratification to our flesh. We lash out, withhold love, avoid, reject, harden, hide, and a lethargy fills our body that makes it feel like it’s no big deal.
I love to make a grand turkey dinner for special holidays in my home. Hours of preparation and cooking time go into the meal, timing all the food to be ready at the same time, so it’s hot and fresh, everything from scratch because it tastes better and is more authentic and healthy. The table is set beautifully to show my family how special they are to me. I must time the meal to ensure that everyone is very hungry so all can fully enjoy this meal. We linger around the table just to soak it all up.
I would be so angry and sad if my kids Uber Eats some McDonalds an hour before dinner was planned; if their hunger rushed them to eat fast food that was neither prepared in love nor had any nutritional value. It would not be very respectful of all the work I had put into enjoying time with my kids over a healthy, delicious dinner that would nourish and sustain what their bodies needed.
Is that what it’s like for our Father when we reject his discipline? His discipline comes to us out of His great love for us. It realigns and corrects us towards receiving the bounty of what God has already provided for us.
Lord, discipline me, I pray, help me get in touch with the parts of myself that need correction, and be honest about those things. Help me to welcome and receive your correction as a loving act and a gift to my life.
Jane Berube
Thank you, Pastor Lori. My heart breaks when I think about how hurt God must be when we sin, and when we don’t appreciate all He has done for us. I can so relate to your cooking a nice meal for your family, and how hard it would be if they did not appreciate it. God’s discipline is sure a lot nicer than the worldly discipline we receive! I love what you said, that God has a banqueting table of the freshest and purest soul food of grace, mercy, joy, hope, healing, and provision for us to partake of. Just beautiful.