Fear and Glory

Matthew 9:8 - When the crowd saw this they became afraid and glorified God who gave such authority to people.

Fear and glory seem to go hand-in-hand. I know that if I saw this happen I would be afraid. Power is fear-inducing - and the Republicans use this to their advantage. It is part of that fight or flight response. But the crowd didn't flee. In fact, they glorified God. Because Jesus told them that God had given this power.

Pharisees fear is their loss of power. Crowd's fear is this new thing but also what the Pharisees might do, what the Romans might do. How often do we fear consequences of others' behavior? I think trust and faith in God is the only thing keeping me going some days. Caught between a rock and a hard place.

In response, they glorified God for giving such power and authority to people. Maybe we fear our own power? What power do I need to glorify God for and use?
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