When you think of fear, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Arachnophobia (fear of spiders)? Coulrophobia (fear of clowns)? Or maybe even glossophobia (the fear of speaking in public)? The bottom line is that fear most definitely carries a negative connotation; it can be described as an intense discomfort, anxiety or even concern.
However, when the Bible instructs us to “fear the Lord,” it’s not referring to the same kind of fear as a phobia. God does not want us to be afraid of Him or even hide from His presence.
The kind of fear the Bible talks about when referring to God is like respect, reverence or awe. To fear God is to realize His might, power, glory, and majesty and to acknowledge Him as our Creator, the Lord of Lords and the great I AM.
One thing I noticed as I was thumbing through scripture is that obeying and serving the Lord often go hand in hand with fearing Him. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says, “And now, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees.” Just a few verses north, this thought is repeated, “fear the LORD your God and worship Him. Remain faithful to Him (10:20). Basically, when we fear the Lord, we put HIM at the center of our lives and make His Truth the focal point of our every thought and action. We show God that we fear Him by obeying His Word.
God doesn’t want us to fear Him without reason. He wants us to fear Him because He loves us and desires to have a relationship with us. God wants to bless us and be the center of our lives “so that we may have life and have it to the fullest” (John 10:10)! What an amazing God!
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him! Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.” (Psalm 34:7-9)
God promises that if we keep our eyes steadfastly focused on HIM and make HIM the center of our world – He will be with us (Psalm 139:10; Isaiah 41:13; Isaiah 42:6) through the good times and the bad (no matter how big or small)! Also, check out the very last part of Psalm 34: “for those who fear Him lack nothing!” This doesn’t mean that you’ll get a new car for Christmas or become the most popular girl at school over night. God knows what we need and promises to care for us. Read Psalm 51:22 and I Peter 5:7 for further insight.
I encourage you to read more of Psalm 34 and ask God to show you what He means by fearing Him. Pray also that he would show you how!
“The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:11)
Comments (4)
Thank you so much for putting this up! It has helped me! I know I try to do whats right and what would honor God...even when it's hard
Posted by Katie | November 29, 2007 7:56 PM
I heard a story once that explained what "fearing the Lord" meant.
There was a newly-wed couple and the wife worked so hard on dinner each night so that it was perfect for her new husband. She was so worried that she would cook it too long or not long enough and that it would just be horrible. A friend asked why she was so afraid of messing up...was she afraid of her husband? The new wife replied, "I'm not afraid of my husband being mad at me. I just am afraid to dissapoint him."
I thought that was a great explanation. That is how a child of God feels when they fear the Lord. It is not that we should be afraid of God, but in an act of reverence, we are afraid to dissapoint and want to do our very best to please God with our actions.
Posted by Kris | January 23, 2008 9:39 PM
Although what you are saying is true, remember that the LORD is our creator, he builds up and he tears down, just as a father to a child,if a child have no fear for his or her father that child have no respect for him at all. The child should know that even though the father disciplines him he still loves him. As children of God when we become disobedient we do what pleases us, we sing this song, Jesus be a fence around me every day, Lord I want you to protect me as I travell along the way, disobedience means taking away that fence leaves us with no defence. Then all sort of things start to happen in our lives, then we wonder why.
Posted by Patsy | April 22, 2008 10:02 PM
Wow. This was helpful, I didn't understand it at first but when I read the comment about the story, I understood it.
Knowing what that means now helps a lot. I always thought it meant to be afraid of Him, but now I know it means to be afraid to dissapoint Him and try to please Him with everything we do.
Posted by Ashley | August 25, 2008 9:43 PM