Yes…you read it right!
On the face of it giving thanks for God’s judgement does seem a strange thing to do. The idea of judgement brings may bring negative shivers to our bones.
But bear with me!
Here are a few reasons why we should be thankful for a God who judges.
1. God’s judgement shows he cares
“I am doing this because I care for you!”
I remember hearing this phrase quite a lot when I was growing up (and yes…I did internally question the truth of it!).
The reality is I now find myself as a parent saying this same thing to my own children. When my wife and I see one of our children do something wrong we seek to highlight that to them. We do this to help them understand why it was not a good idea as well as explaining the consequences if we didn’t step in.
If I didn’t care about my children I would let them do whatever they want and never hold them to account for their behaviour or their choices.
The Bible tells us that one day we will have to give an account for the lives we’ve lived. We will face God’s judgement.
This might seem scary to us but it is something that is good.
God cares about how we live in his world. If he didn’t care he would let the world just get on with things and there wouldn’t be any consequences for our actions or choices.
2. God’s judgement reminds us that we are held to account
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)
We live in a world which tells us to live life how we want. We like to be able to make free decisions based on what we want. If anyone questions our decision we accuse them of being ‘insensitive’ or worse. We like to think that we are accountable only to ourselves.
Yet the Bible reminds us that the life we have been given is a gift from God.
In Psalm 139:13 King David says,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
The life we live is from God. The right response to recognising this gift is to praise this God, say thank you to him, and to live the life he has given us in the way that he created it for.
King David goes on in the next verse,
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
We struggle to do this in our lives don’t we. We take the good things God has given us without doing this.
To remember God’s judgement is to remember that we will be called to account for the way we have lived, the decisions we’ve made, our attitude to the God who gifted us life.
3. God’s judgement takes us to Christ
The prospect of having to stand before the God of the universe and give an account for our lives is a little unsettling.
What will I say? What do I need to say? What is God looking for?
The Bible tells us that only those who have lived a life in perfect obedience to God can stand before him.
Our issue is that no-one can claim that.
Each of us has things in our lives that we’d prefer no-one ever saw.
But that verse in Hebrews reminds us that ‘nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight’.
Yet there was a man who did live a life of perfection…the Lord Jesus, God’s own son.
Easter reminded us that on the cross he bore the judgement that we deserved upon himself.
We should be thankful that God cares.
We should be thankful that we will be held to account.
As Christians we should be thankful that God’s judgement has been passed to the Lord Jesus.
We don’t need to work out what to say to God.
Jesus’ body and blood speaks on behalf of those who have repented of their sins and are trusting in Him alone.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:9-10)
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