The Fear of the Lord

 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