Focus: Psalms 34:11 - KJV
11. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalms 34:9-20
Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; it is the feeling or condition of being afraid. Simply put, it is terror and a torment. God however, tempts no one with evil, so, how then can we speak about learning to fear the Lord? Yes, God is an awesome being but He is not terrifying and wants no one to be terrified of Him. Even when He appears in any form to man, and the man seems terrified, He quips that the man be not afraid. Therefore, when we speak of the fear of the Lord, it cannot mean being terrified of Him.
Nevertheless, it is more appropriate to say that the fear of the Lord speaks about holding Him in awe and giving Him the honor and regard that He deserves. After all, He is greater and more powerful than anything or anyone of whom we are terrified, ordinarily. The bottom-line therefore is, how do we understand to fear God? The scriptures direct us to keep our tongues from evil and depart from it, be righteous, be His servant, be of a broken heart and a contrite spirit and generally, obey His commands.
All them that do comply with these things are reckoned to fear God and they have their benefits. For instance, the eyes of the Lord are upon them; His ears are open to their cries; He delivers them from their troubles and afflictions; He is quite near to them; He makes their haters desolate; He keeps them from breaking their bones, and of course, He redeems their souls. Isn’t it so delightsome to fear the Lord? Just make sure you do not offend Him, and all your detractors will be in trouble with Him. Not because He will terrify them but that He will leave them to the reach of the wicked one who surely devastates.
SOLUTION: Honor the Lord always by obeying Him and letting Him know He alone is your Lord. Anything short of that is a lack of fear for the Lord and it pitches the person against Him in a manner of speaking. No one should want to be against God for if He turns His face away, danger looms from darkness.
Father, we hate to be against you in any form. Please, help us by your Spirit to honor you in all ways and at all times in Jesus’ name. If there be any way that we had dishonored you in the past, please show us mercy and return your face to us in Jesus’ name. We plead that by your mercy, the benefits of having your fear will be totally ours in the name of Jesus Christ.
If you are blessed by this content, kindly like and share the link with others for the spread of the Gospel. Your comments and questions are equally welcome that we may learn from and through you also. Thanks and God bless you.
Comments