Terrified But Overjoyed - Jesus

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified.

Luke 2:8-9

In the classic C. S. Lewis novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver prepare the young girl Lucy to meet Aslan the lion, who represents Jesus Christ. When Lucy learns that Aslan is a lion, she tells Mrs. Beaver that she feels nervous about meeting a lion. She wonders if he is safe.

“Safe?” replied Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!”

Nothing will seem more frightening—and at the same time joyful and comforting—than coming face-to-face with the living God. Though he is anything but safe, he is good in every way.

A group of shepherds who were guarding their flocks the night of Jesus’ birth saw God’s frightening side and his comforting side. As they watched their flocks, an angel suddenly appeared, interrupting the night’s silence and darkness with his radiant glory.

The sight terrified them.

The angel quickly replaced their fears with unspeakable joy as he made the staggering announcement that their long-awaited Messiah had come!

Today we tend to represent angels as cuddly, cute, harmless little fluffs of niceness, like the cherub you place on top of your Christmas tree every December. The angels brought the best news the world had ever heard, but these shepherds felt awe and terror at seeing them, followed by joy at what they had to say.

That is the only fitting reaction when a man of faith has a real encounter with the living God.

How do you reconcile biblical commands to fear God and love him at the same time? You have the privilege of serving and loving a God who elicits fear and joy whenever he appears. God is anything but safe—but he’s the very definition of goodness.