Joel 2:11 >
“The LORD is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is His
mighty army, and they follow His orders. The
day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive?” (NLT)
What an interesting way to describe “the
day of the Lord” as both awesome and terrible. To place these two words side by
side seemed odd to me. It did not make sense to put them together, separated
only by a comma. At least until I dug a little deeper. They had more in common
than I thought.
When I first looked at the word awesome, immediately
I thought of something good. But then, the word terrible threw me off. Is not
that the opposite of awesome? How can these two words possibly go together? Aren't
they different? That is definitely a yes and no question. It never fails to
surprise me at the placement of words in the Bible. Their placement has a
reason. Maybe it is to cause us to dig a little deeper.
Looking at the word awesome, I thought of
something extremely good. Although it does mean that as too, there is still
much more. We have thrown the word around so much and used it in ways that it
has become much less than its true meaning. I heard someone say once “only God is awesome. The word
should never be attached to another being or thing.” I admit that I have used
the word very loosely, myself. I love my husband very much and there are days
that I think he is pretty awesome! I think Greek Quesadilla’s are out of this
world and I’ve claimed them to be pretty awesome, too! Although I may feel that
way, and literally believe it, only God holds its truest meaning.
When I looked further into the definition
of awesome, I was startled. One definition used is - *causing feelings of fear and
wonder*. Both are used at the same time! It is a feeling that is hard to describe
and comprehend. Yet I know it exists because I have felt it. I felt it to my
very core when in the presence of the Almighty. It was a feeling that almost
took my breath away; one that I had never experienced before. Honestly, the
days I said that my husband, as well as, Greek Quesadilla’s was pretty awesome,
I never felt both fear and wonder. Wonder, yes, but not
fear with it. I know the word for fear means - *a feeling of respect and wonder
for something very powerful*. Only God is that powerful and I understand that.
Nothing and no one holds a finger to Him.
I suppose I’m a little weird. Not only am
I a word person, I like to look at the list of synonyms that are included with it. With awesome was the word “awful”. I know what you’re thinking because I did, too. Awful to
me meant something bad and awesome meant something good; they were totally
opposite. How could they mean the same? Well, they both share one of the same definitions:
*causing feelings of fear and wonder*. Who knew?? Both words
had more in common than I thought. I had begun to understand a little more about the word ‘awesome’ and it was now time to move on to ‘terrible’. (I just love words!)
The word terrible is defined as - *very
shocking and upsetting*. Upsetting is defined as - *confusion*. You are
not just shocked and upset, as well as confused; you are all of them! I do
have to admit that I have felt these together before. As I am sure, most of us
have and do. All you have to do is look at our world today. What the world
considers okay is both shocking and upsetting. It is flat-out
confusing! A person, no matter the age, is allowed to determine his/her own
gender; a baby can be killed right after birth, and even before, if the mother
so chooses …etc. More people should be shocked and upset! It’s confusing
when they are not.
The
combination of these words used in the verse now has meaning. On the day of the
Lord, there will be feelings of fear/respect and wonder of an
all-powerful God. We will finally be able to see Him in all His glory;
something that we cannot possibly do right now. I cannot imagine what that will
be like. To behold the One that loved us enough to die for us. How truly
awesome that will be! Yet, for some it will be a shocking and upsetting/confusing
day. To finally be able to behold Him, believing that eternity with Him is inevitable,
just to hear Him say, “I never knew you; depart
from Me,” (Matt. 7:23 NLT). How incredibly terrible, completely
devastating, that day will be for those. Who
can possibly survive?
Looking
at the meaning behind each word in question, I understand why “The
day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing.”
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
**Definitions
are from Merriam-Webster Dictionary
