God is like a hippo

We all learned so much in Zambia and God worked in all of our lives while we were there. When we asked Hayley how God had been working in her, one of the things she mentioned was that she better understood what it means to fear the Lord. I am now going to try to tell you what she said - this is not a quote from her but me passing her wisdom on to you.

Crocodiles are downright freaky. They are scary and we should all be afraid of them. They are quick, powerful, wild. However, hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa and they, too, are quick, powerful and wild. But there is just something about hippos that draws one to them. As I wrote earlier, we were close enough to a hippopotamus to reach out and touch it. And although Hayley knew that this animal was so much more powerful than she and that in an instant it could destroy everything around it including her, she had such a desire to touch it - to be close and to connect with it.

God is to be feared - we are to acknowledge He is the most powerful; He is sovereign. And yet He draws us near, wanting us to connect with Him. He is a just and righteous God, holy and worthy of awe - and He wants a relationship with us. Hayley's desire for God grew while in Africa.

God is not like a crocodile to be afraid of and avoided. God is like a hippopotamus to be respected and enjoyed.

"The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy." Psalm 147:11