Fear of the Lord

So, what does the word of God say about fearing the Lord? It turns out, quite a lot!  Here are just some verses:

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.”  Proverbs 29:25

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:9-11

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.  Psalm 111:9-10

I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me.  Deuteronomy 9:18-20

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, Deuteronomy 10:11-13

When I was a child, I use to think that fearing the Lord meant that I should be afraid of Him.  And, with the stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, I found it easy to be afraid of Him.  I kept the Lord at arm’s length and wouldn't let Him get too close.  But, as I got older, I began to realize that this is not the relationship the Lord desired.  He wants us to be in close relationship with Him.  I mistakenly thought that if I became too close to God, He would take my life.  So what then does "fear of the Lord" really mean?

Job, according to God, was living righteously.  Yet, the bottom fell out of Job’s life:  he lost his children, his wife and his property all in a very short period of time.  Under those circumstances, many would say “forget this” or “how could God allow this to happen?”  Instead, Job explains why he remains faithful to God despite his circumstances.  Job feared God’s sovereignty and continued to praise Him even in his grief.  In chapters 38-41, God answers Job and explains His sovereignty.  Because of Job's faithfulness, God blessed him by restoring him in double portion.

In another example, Peter, the Apostle of Jesus Christ is in a boat during a terrible storm (Matthew 14:22-33).  He sees Jesus walking on the water coming towards him.  Peter asks the Lord to call him and Jesus responds, “Come.”  Peter comes out of the boat and begins to walk towards Jesus.  But when Peter looked around at his circumstances – the wind and the water – he became afraid and began to sink.  He cried out "Lord, save me!"  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"  Peter took his eyes off of the Lord and became more afraid of his current situation instead of remaining steadfast in Jesus’ sovereignty.  Jesus saved Peter and taught him at the same time who He is.  He continues to do this for us today.

As we begin to trust God’s sovereignty in our lives and allow Him to be our God, and thereby giving Him the rightful place in our lives, we are displaying a righteous fear of the Lord.  Putting God first and allowing him to be Lord over our life and our will, He will draw us closer, teach us about His character and transform our lives – changing us from the inside out.  This fear will become a desire to follow Him wherever He leads us because we are more afraid of losing this close relationship with Him no matter the cost or circumstances because we understand that He is in control.