Fear the Lord and Fear Not; Awe and Reverence for GodSample

Fear is Something We Learn

Children are born with only two fears – loud noises and falling. We learn the rest. We all fear various things, but these two things are on most lists. We’re also afraid of failure, criticism, speaking in public, death, loss of a loved one, old age, and the list goes on. We learn to fear these things by holding onto mental pictures of what we don’t want to happen.

Many fears are reasonable because they teach us to be careful. We don’t want to hurt ourselves through carelessness, do we? Yet, if we ignore the One, True Lord of all the universe, who holds it all together by the power of His Word, then that carelessness will require accountability. At some point in life, or after our last breath, we must stand before Him and give an account of our lives; how we treated Him and His people.

The world system teaches us that God is not to be feared, He is not worthy of our reverence, and in our minds it pulls His Throne of Glory out from under Him, making Him to be some weakened and lower authority than ourselves. Therefore, we must learn to come before Him with the awe and reverence that is due to Him.

He has given us clear evidence of His power and authority; in nature around us, in raising Jesus from the dead to clear the path for us to enter heaven, in giving us the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts. He has given us His Word to share His heart with us and show us how to live. If you want to learn to please the LORD, read the letter He wrote to you. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will learn to fear Him in the right way.

• Deuteronomy 4:10 “Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’
• Deuteronomy 4:40 “Keep his decrees and commands...that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you...”

God desires a love relationship with each of us, and He sent His Son Jesus to die in our place, taking the horrible punishment we deserved for the sins we had committed upon Himself. However, for those who trust Him, He provides eternal life in heaven. He offers His great love and sacrifice to all of us, but we must willingly receive that love and surrender our lives to Him. Fearing God begins that process. If we don’t reverence or trust God or feel that we don’t need God, we will never be able to receive His free salvation.

Take a few minutes to praise God for His loving mercy and the blessing you have by being able to come before Him. In a loving relationship, you are heart to heart, reverently fearing Him with awe and love. Praise Him for the salvation He provides in Jesus Christ, our Savior.