Being around something or someone I’m scared of
is not my favorite thing to do. Nor was my favorite thing being told to fear
the Lord.
I have real and perceived fears. My fear was real
when bears entered a fellow camper’s campsite and devoured their food—twice. My
son and I were camped in a three-sided shelter a mere fifty feet away. The same
bears could have easily walked into our shelter and devoured us.
As a child, my fear of the dark could have been
real or imagined. Although Dad was fond of saying there was nothing in the dark
that wasn’t there in the light, I never believed him. Some dangers are present
at night that are not present during the day. But I did imagine some of my
fears associated with darkness.
Early in life, Dad taught me to fear the Lord. At
the same time, he wanted me to love the Lord. I don’t typically love or choose
to be around those I fear. If I fear them, I perceive that some danger hangs
around them. Loving and fearing God seemed like an ironic situation, and I was
unsure of how to do both.
The command combines fear, worship, and
association. If we usually avoid what we fear, but God wants us to worship and
associate with him, fear must have another definition. And it does. Fear can
involve being afraid of something or someone. Defined in such a manner, we
would avoid that person or thing. Fear can also mean to reverence. And this is
the definition God has in mind when he tells us to fear him.
When we reverence God, we stand in awe of him. In
one sense, we should fear him. He has life and death power over our existence.
With the utterance of one command, our hearts would stop and our breath cease.
He is sovereign over people and the universe.
Although fear can involve fright, God wants us to
love and revere him. So great was his desire for fellowship with people that he
allowed his Son to die for our sins on Calvary. We should stand in awe of Him,
but we also consider him as our Savior and friend. He has accepted us into his
family and invited us to come into his presence as often as we like.
Let your fear of God lead you to him, not away.
Father, I love you for who you are and for what you’ve
done on my behalf.
I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World. No one escapes life's hurts, but quiet places help us regain our perspective. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
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