“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him.” (Psalm 89:7.)
Our God is not a myth. He is not a work of fiction. The God of heaven is not dead as some cynics have mockingly taunted. He is not even sick!
And God is certainly no “good buddy” to joke with or about. He is not some sort of tottering, grandfatherly Santa Claus to be snickered at or ridiculed as the object of profane humor. His name deserves to be held in reverence.
Though God is not visible to the eye, as flesh cannot see spirit, He exists nonetheless, permeating the very universe which we call home, and which He Himself created. (Genesis 1:1.)
Such a God should not be taken lightly. His name deserves better than to be bandied about as conversational filler or vulgar exclamation. The God of all things both deserves and demands better; He is due our profound reverence. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7.) “Profane My holy name no more.” (Ezekiel 20:39.)
God is both known and unknown, knowable and yet unknowable. Every person with ability to read or reason can know the God of the Bible as He has revealed Himself in His creation, in the Sacred Scriptures, and in His Son, Jesus Christ. “And this is eternal life, that they many know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3.) The boundless power, infinite love, and eternal nature of God can be realized as they have been revealed. Yet to completely comprehend, to fully fathom, the awesome might and majesty, the goodness and grace of God, is far more than our finite, mortal minds can begin to grasp, much less fully comprehend. God is above us, beyond us, and altogether Sovereign. “Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.” (Psalm 115:3.)
No one will rise high, no one will truly be a success, while jeering at sacred things. He who makes light of God, profaning His name by using it in a vulgar or flippant manner, reveals less about God than about his own moral and spiritual bankruptcy. May we all, both in mind and in manners, give God the reverence He alone is due. “Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” (Psalm 33:8.)