A Good View. August 9, 2026

The only way a sinful human being can dare to approach and worship an almighty God is if we also know that He is a God of mercy. God’s mighty power is known from the vastness of His creation, the stars and seas, light and darkness, tempests and storms (Job 38). “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). Yet we are told, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you” (Isaiah 30:18). This “almighty and most merciful God” (Prayer of the Day) showed both His might and mercy when He became aware of His disciples’ peril on a storm-tossed sea. Walking on water wasn’t the point. It was the Lord’s coming to save us in our fear and distress (Matthew 14). As the catechism says of God’s commandments, “We should fear and love God.” We can trust the God who has harnessed His wrath with His love. Greater love has no one than the God who joined us in our misery, took our sin upon Himself, and died our death but now is risen to save us from every evil that threatens us or makes us afraid.