Do You Live in Fear of God?

We all experience the unpleasant emotion of fear in our lives, to one degree or another, in response to actual or perceived threats to our wellbeing. Many different things in this world may make us feel afraid, whether they are tangible, physical threats or more abstract threats, such as fear of heights, fear of enclosed spaces, fear of failure, fear of death, and so on. The Bible, however, tells us about a different, unique form of fear that believers should actually welcome in their lives: the fear of God.

The phrase "fear of the Lord" or something similar occurs many times in the books of Psalms and Proverbs. Unlike the fear we encounter in our daily lives when we dread something, the fear of God is a positive emotion that clarifies and strengthens our relationship with God. When we acknowledge that God is the Supreme Being, we experience this special type of fear as a sense of awe, respect, and humble reverence for Him. We are told in Psalm 33:8 that it is God's will for us to fear Him: "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." Interestingly, the Hebrew word for fear, yirah, translates as both "fear" and "awe" in the Old Testament. If we remember Who God is and humbly "fear" Him, we will put ourselves in a position to receive His blessings and spiritual gifts. One of these gifts is the measure of Wisdom that God chooses to reveal to those who fear Him, so that we might learn to know Him and His ways: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10). See also Psalm 25:12.

A New Testament perspective on the spiritual gifts that are given to those who fear God is found in 1 Corinthians 2:6-10. Paul tells us that such gifts, including true wisdom, come only from God, not humans, and that they are given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that God also confers the blessings of long life, prosperity, and protection from harm on those who fear Him (Proverbs 10:27, Psalm 34:7-9, 112:1-3, Proverbs 22:4, 14:26, 19:23).

The Bible tells us that many of the people who experienced or witnessed Jesus' miracles were immediately filled with the fear of God. When a woman with a bleeding disorder realized that she had been healed by Jesus, she humbly fell at His feet and was "trembling with fear" in the presence of the Son of God (Mark 5:33). After Jesus raised Jarius' daughter from death, those in attendance were "utterly astonished and overcome with amazement" (Mark 5:42). When Jesus drove an evil spirit out of a man in Capernaum, the people "were all amazed" and noticed how He acted with authority (Mark 1:27). And when Jesus raised a widow's son from death in Nain, those present "were all filled with awe and praised God" (Luke 7:16).

The disciples experienced two forms of fear within a short period of time when they were sailing with Jesus and encountered a severe storm (Luke 8:22-25). They feared for their lives, because they thought they were going to drown. This fear was the fear of the things of this world. However, after Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples were suddenly safe, and their fear of drowning vanished. They weren't sure about all that had happened, but they sensed a new type of fear, the fear of God: "In fear and amazement they asked one another, 'Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.' "

We, too, should be amazed by the majesty of God. The Disciple Group suggests that you think about how you relate to God and see if any changes are in order. Do you think of yourself as a lowly child of God and go to Him in prayer with the attitude of awe and reverence that He deserves and expects? Do you give God the glory and recognize Him as the sole source of your blessings and all good things? Have you resolved to show Him respect by living in accordance with His will, as revealed to us in the Bible? In other words, do you live in fear of God? Indeed, it is God's will that we "fear" Him, and these eternal words of Truth should be our daily guide: "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 10:12).