The Man Upstairs?
Pastor John Fredericksen
In
his song entitled “Unanswered Prayers,” country singer Garth Brooks refers to
God as “the Man upstairs.” Similar phrases referring to Almighty God include:
the Big Man, my Co-pilot, my Homeboy, my Golf-buddy, or simply JC. The user may
not intend it this way, but such references are highly disrespectful, and
reveal a lack of understanding about who and what our Great High God really is.
When
the Apostle John encountered the Lord Jesus Christ, who was instructing him to
write what would be revealed to him, he said, “I fell at his feet as dead”
(Rev. 1:17). Notice there was nothing casual in John’s response. Why? When the
Lord Jesus Christ spoke, it was with “a great voice, as of a trumpet” (vs. 10).
“His eyes were as a flame of fire” (vs. 14), and “His countenance was as the
sun” (vs. 16).
This
brief picture, and the reaction of a mere man in the presence of God, is
consistent with the rest of Scripture. Isaiah says he saw “the Lord…high and
lifted up” with dynamic angelic hosts attending crying, “Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts” (Isa. 6:1-3). Isaiah’s response was not
casual or irreverent. He said, “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (vs. 5).
People
of old had a far greater reverence for the Lord. King David described his great
God by saying, “The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is
clothed with strength…Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from
everlasting” (Psa. 93:1-2). He continued, “God sitteth upon the throne of His
holiness” as He reigns over all men (Psalm 47:8). He’s not just a co-pilot or a
buddy. Balak declared, “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Num. 23:19).
The
Lord tells us this is because, “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways My ways…For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways
higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9). In
the context of all this information, the Lord Jesus said of the Father,
“Hallowed [meaning holy or sacred] be Thy name” (Matt. 6:9).
It
would be appropriate to lovingly share articles such as this with lost souls
who lack understanding of God’s holiness and magnificence. More importantly, in
humility, we believers need always to show great reverence to the Lord and to
His name.
Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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