The Fear of the Lord
I am a good, good father. I am your protector and shield. You are my child.
How a father interacts with his children reflects their relationship. Whether it is honour, respect, and love, or the opposite, I am no different.
A father never wants his children to be afraid of him, but he does require a level of respect. I love you and in return I expect honour. I don’t want you to be afraid of me, but I do require respect and obedience.
“The fear of the Lord” is about knowing me. It’s a life of trust, consecration, obedience, love, surrender, and more. It is about showing reverence and honour to me. Humility is also an attribute of this which reaps its own reward – a life lived in my abundance where you can rest in contentment unfazed by trouble.
See my child, “the fear of the Lord” is not about being afraid of me. It is living a surrendered life before me which allows you to reap the benefits that I have stored up for you.
Activation: Take time to praise God and meditate on some of the attributes of the fear of the Lord. Ask God to reveal one of the attributes of his choosing and allow Him to show you the wonder of that attribute. Take your time with this experience – commit to spending a few days or even a few weeks to allow God the opportunity to reveal deeper insight to you. Go deeper with him and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the majesty of this attribute as you humble yourself in the awe of God, allowing him to bring you joy as you submit to and fear who he is.
Proverbs 1:7 (KJV)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 22:4 (NIV)
Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honour and life.
