St. John’s Bible

Trembling at His Word

This is what the Lord says, 

Heaven is my throne,

and earth is my footstool.

Where could you possibly build a house for me?

And where could my resting place be?

My hand made all these things,

and so they all came into being.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

I will look favorably on this kind of person:

one who is humble,

submissive in spirit,

and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 66:1-2 

God,

You speak order out of chaos,

you make nothing become something

by the power of your word.

You said, let there be light, and there was light.

You said, let there be flying creatures, and birds came to be.

You said, let there be plants, and flowers appeared. 

You said, you said, you said!  

Creative energy flowed,

atoms formed elements,

elements molecules,

molecules compounds,

compounds live-giving structures,

order out of chaos

because of what you said.

At your command

the sun rises and sets,

moon and stars adorn the darkness,

flowers splash green with color and joy.

The oceans stay in their place,

the earth orbits around the sun,

gravity tethers us to the ground

because you said, you said, you said.

Your word carries your power,

the power of the One who sits in heaven

but rests his feet on earth,

the power of the One no earthly temple contains,

the power of the One whose word is as good as done.

Why don’t we tremble at your word?

Why don’t we rush to obey your commands?

Why is obedience not urgent?

Is it because we deem our self-government loftier than yours?

Is it because we are too comfortable on our own?

Is it because we believe the Serpent’s lie?

That we know what is good,

that we know what is best,

that we know what is true, 

that we know what is beautiful?

Why, Lord, why don’t we tremble at your word?

Why don’t we rush to obey your commands?

Why is obedience not urgent?

Oh, Lord!

We lament

that we study your word, but fail to do what it says,

that we are filled with knowledge without deeds,

that we negotiate our obedience with comfort,

that we have not deem your beauty worthy of our prompt obedience.

We lament

that we have trampled on your Word,

not trembled before Him, 

by refusing his light, 

by resisting his cross-shaped mold,

by embracing a false resurrection devoid of a cross.

We lament

that we have trampled on your Word

by embracing security over sacrifice

and self-sovereignty over surrender.

We have trampled on Him

by keeping the key to our souls 

and looking for words of eternal life in empty elsewheres.

We lament

that we have trampled on Jesus 

by ignoring our neighbors,

by judging instead of showing solidarity,

by aiming our feet to the powerful and away from the poor,

and extending our hand in arrogance instead of humility.

We lament that we are not humble.

We lament that we are not submissive.

We lament that we do not tremble at your word.

Oh Lord!

Forgive us.

We repent of our self-government.

We repent of our knowledge without deeds

and faith without works. 

We surrender the keys of our souls to your Spirit.

We submit to your cross-shaped molding.

Oh Lord!

You who re-created the world by sending the Word,

you who repeated “let there be light” 

by sending Light with legs,

you who spoke order out of chaos 

through Jesus’ perfect life,

sacrificial death

and powerful resurrection,  

come and breathe life on us, 

shine your light into our hearts, 

shape our souls into a cross,

drive away our rebellion, 

so that we may tremble at your word

and obey it with urgency.

Amen