Lord's Day Devotion - The Fear of the Lord

The measured and ponderous steps of a man's polished, special occasion shoes were heard ascending the wooden stairs behind her.  She was home alone, though.  Her pulse quickened, her heartbeat thudded in her bosom, a quick intake of breath as her thoughts raced.

Should she turn around to 'face' who  was not supposed to be there?  Yes.  No.  Yes...It was now or never...

Swiftly, she rose from the living room sofa where seconds before she had been quietly reading a book, she swiveled around and came face-to-face, with no-one! 

Fear threatened to overtake but she pressed on, went to the staircase and continued to see...no-one.

There was no-one there yet she had distinctly heard the "shoe-d" footfalls, climbing.

Strange.  Fear producing moments.  If it wasn't human nor angelic, then the scary option scenario was, a being of the demonic nature.  

This was something to be afraid of yet a child of God can call upon "Jesus!" in such situations.  We can...

"...call upon Him in our day of trouble; I will deliver you..." (Psalm 50:15 ESV).

Praise God we do not need to fear Satan and his evil minions. This is nothing to be glib about.  Knowing how the evil one operates and what he is capable of may help us in our spiritual warfare especially when we don the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  However, there is Someone it is good to fear with a good kind of fear.  This is called, "the fear of the Lord".

Besides a fear or fascination with Satan and his dominion, people fear many things:  the death of a loved one; not being successful in a business venture; being a spinster or bachelor; car accidents; law suits; and many, many more.  Yes, those are definitely life's concerns yet when we cast our anxieties upon the Lord He will calm our souls.  Faith and trust in our Almighty God will bring forth that 'good' kind of fear as alluded to above, the fear of the Lord.

What, exactly, does "the fear of the Lord" mean?  I like the definition found in the 2019, 40-Day Fast & Prayer booklet put out by NECF Malaysia.  The writer of Day 37's devotional, Reverend Subashini Achari, wrote,

"It is to have a deep reverence, awe and great respect for the Lord.  We are to be awed and humbled by His presence.  When we truly fear the Lord we will recognize that He is the Creator and we are His creatures.  He is the Father and we are his children.  The true fear of God is leading a life of obedience to the Word of God and wanting to please Him at all costs."

Jesus taught His disciples to start out realizing that when they spoke with God they could address him as "Father" all the while remembering that reverence, "...hallowed be Your Name" (Luke 11:2 NIV).

When we are in our prayer closet or public pulpit, be awed and humbled by His presence.  Say, "...hallowed be Your Name" and pause.  Pause some more...Let it sink in.  Reverence and honor.

We can fear our gracious God and Father, because as we know from Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10, respectively,

 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom."

The more we know of our Heavenly Father, the more wisely we will live our lives in a circumspect manner.  We will become more conscious of our attitudes and behavior.  He loved/loves us so much.  Won't we show our gratitude by fearing him and becoming more like Christ?  To be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) is our Heavenly Father's desire for us His children.

Just this morning while reading Psalm 147, I came across verse 11 which seems very appropriate to insert here,

"...but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love" (ESV).

I find that comforting and encouraging.

I recall that as a young child, and even into my teens, that I would or would not do certain things whether or not my parents were present.  Why?  It was their governing training and a 'fear of my parents,' that helped to keep me on "the straight and narrow".  Their love and their care, whether it was appreciated or not by their children at the time, kept us well.

Similarly, when the children of God have the fear of God in their hearts, they will become a more holy people.  A people to be called by his name. He deserves to have our respect, and reverent awe.

He has proven His love and care for us many times over.  His biggest proof being His gift of salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ's, death and resurrection.

Remember all this as we gather together on Lord's Day.  As we pass the bread and wine to each other, show our deep respect and gratitude to Him.  Carve out an expanding 'hallowed' alcove in your heart for your Heavenly Father; a place to generate that reciprocated love; to generate that hallowed offering to Him called, "the fear of the Lord".

                                                   ~ERC  September 2019~

The Fear of the Lord as sung by Tommy Walker