The fear of the Lord is a healthy fear that illustrates a sincere heartfelt reverence towards God and sees the sovereignty and majesty of God with a sense of great awe. The Bible is full of stories illustrating how the fear of the Lord inspired people to muster up great faith, act courageously and experience incredible results.
It is what gave Noah the faith to endure the scorn of the world, condemning him as he constructed this huge ship on dry ground—with no water in sight. Noah, however, endured to experience one of the most fascinating testimonies of God’s salvation and redemption the world has ever known. In the end, his faith, courage and persistence proved to overcome the obstinance and contempt of the world towards God.
The fear of the Lord is also what gave Joshua the courage to settle issues with God after Moses’ death and advance forward in faith to fight the giants opposing him. The narratives summarized in Joshua 12:24 and 21:43-45 record how he successfully defeated thirty-one kings and took full possession of all God had promised him.
In fact, let all the heroes of faith inspire you through their testimonies recorded in Hebrews 11. They all allowed God to strengthen them on the inside, cultivate the healthy fear of the Lord and act in tremendous faith to experience the awesome power of God and accomplish much in their generation.
So, the fear of the Lord coupled with a passionate love for God serve to bring your faith beyond surface knowledge and mental assent, beyond superstition and presumptuous beliefs, beyond the traditions of man. It is a knowing God and trusting confidence in God’s sovereignty; that He is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving and watching over you!
God knows your thoughts, meditations, desires and prayers. It was this deep inner conviction and faith that enabled Daniel and his friends to survive the torment and trials of their Babylonian oppressors.
The fear of the Lord will truly pierce through your humanity and being to bring you to a strong sense of transparency—being transparent before God. It will lead you to being honest with God, honest with yourself and real before people. It will cause you to rightly discern and distinguish between what is right in your own eyes—even the world’s eyes—and right before God.
The fear of the Lord will pierce through your areas of darkness, revealing your greatest fears, blind ambitions and hidden agendas. How so? It will cause you to value what God values: virtues like integrity, humility, wisdom, love, sacrifice, faithfulness, diligence and accountability towards God. It will truly be effective in producing what God refers to as the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-24).
Yes, the fear of the Lord brings forth different—higher—values and standards than those of the world. But it is more fulfilling and more satisfying—because it’s real—and of God.
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.
(Isaiah 33:6)
The Book of Acts relates how it was the fear of the Lord that gave Paul such boldness to defend His faith in the Lord. It gave him strength and confidence to dispute those who opposed him and convince the world around him of the love of God and truth of salvation and grace found in Messiah Jesus. It was this same fear of the Lord that propelled the communities of New Covenant believers to walk in a secure and confident faith as they embraced the ministry of the Holy Spirit and experience God multiplying them.
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied” (Acts 9:31).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 8:13; Proverbs 14:26-27; Proverbs 15:33; Proverbs 22:4