Oh fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those
who fear Him. (Ps 34:9)
I love walking down a deserted beach, listening to the
roaring and crashing waves remembering the Scripture “the voice of the Lord is
like many waters”. (Ez.43:2;Rev.1:15/14:2) It is a glimpse of the power of God
who created the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that is contained therein,
both visible and invisible. The restless
ocean must abide by the boundaries set by God “this far, and no further” and it
can only trespass beyond this point by His permission. For He commands and
raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. (Ps.107:25) Anyone
who has stood on the shoreline during a violent storm learns a new respect for
the power behind nature as it relentlessly protests against its borders. It is a reminder of our smallness and utter
helplessness in this universe apart from God, but Jesus demonstrated that even
the wind and sea obey Him, and this generated a deep fear of Him among His
disciples. (Mk.4:41)
We are living in times when much of the western church has
neglected to learn the fear of the Lord. We are bombarded with distractions and
technological advances that captivate our attention, and draw us away from
meditating on the things of God. Many live away from the language of nature,
and are surrounded by man-made structures and systems that magnify mans’ ingenuity. We live lives that are relatively routine and
dependent upon our ability to earn a living. Our attention to nature may be
limited to a garden, or a nicely manicured lawn or the nuisance of mosquitos
and gnats. Perhaps this is why the
Psalmist counters that the heavens declare the glory of God…(Ps.19)…where-ever
we are, we need only look up to see what our God has made and sustains.
Often I have heard it
explained that the “fear of the Lord” is a “reverence” of Him. I probably have said it myself. It is
impossible to have a true “reverence” for a God that we do not fear. (Ps.89:7) There has been such a focus on the “Love of
God” in Christ Jesus, that there has been a lackadaisical regard to His other simultaneous
attributes. His Omniscience, His Omnipotence, His Omnipresence, His
Immutableness, His Holiness, His Sovereignty and Justice are neglected in light
of His love and mercy. How grateful we
are for His love and mercy, but if the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom, then we should rightly understand this God who created us and joined us
to Himself in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
We experience thunderstorms with awe. Unless we were living
in tents much of our fear of them is muted by the safety of our homes.
Scripture declares that His lightnings light the world, the earth sees and
trembles. (Ps.97:4). Lightning and wind may be intimidating, but God Himself
makes these things. (Jer.10:13/51:16) We
must learn to see our God not only through the humanity of Jesus Christ, but
through His divinity. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Heb.13:8) He
is the same God of the Old Testament, as He is in the New Testament. He has
changed us, but He has not changed. He is not like us. (Ps.50:21)
Christian persecution is on the rise worldwide and hints of
it seem to be lapping upon the shore of America. When we have learned to fear
the Lord as the Creator of those things which are terrifying, we need never to
fear anything else. Fortunately, we can learn a healthy fear of the Lord so
that we do not wander from Him. (Dt. 17:19/Jer.32:40)
We are accepted in the Beloved, hid with Christ in Him, and
we His Saints who fear Him, and Him alone have a God who alone should be feared.
If this God is on our side, who can be against us? (Rom.8:31) Therefore having
these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.(2Cor.7:1)
DJ
