“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God,
you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” --Oswald Chambers

In Psalm 34, David continues to speak directly to the reader’s heart. He says,

“Oh fear the LORD you His Saints, for to those who fear Him, there is no want.
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the LORD shall not
Be in lack of any good thing. Come you children listen to me I will teach you to fear the LORD.”
Psalm 34: 9-11 (NASB)

Fear is expressed in two ways: terror or reverence.

While the October weather is spectacular, the skeletons, spiders, cobwebs, and monsters have come out to line the porches and streets to create a dreadful environment. Books are purchased to read this month from the “horror” literary genre in which fiction events evoke fearful feelings in both the characters and the readers. Authors who fall into this genre would be Edgar Allan Poe, Steven King, or Mary Shelley best known for Frankenstein.

While October may cause people to invoke feelings of dread or fright, the fear of the LORD is the exact opposite of terror.

The fear of the LORD is not a scary fear. The fear of the Lord is a holy reverence born in the heart. It is a reverence to His majesty and for His holiness. He is holy, we are not. This God-centeredness in the heart gives us a fresh, upside-down perspective on which to view the world.

As a young parent, I remember hearing a Pastor say, your children have to have a healthy fear and respect for you as their parents, or they will never have a healthy fear and respect for their Heavenly Father. You are the first step in teaching them the “fear of the LORD.”

The fear of the LORD is central to having a right relationship with God because “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who keep His commandments. His praise endures forever.” Psalm 111:10 (NASB)

Wisdom, otherwise known as knowledge applied, begins with the fear of the LORD. When you have wisdom, it means you are more than book smart, you are also street smart.

This feeling of awe is different from when you stand on top of a mountain or in the sand at the foot of the ocean in wonder as you observe the vast views. Nature is God’s beautiful creation, but nature is not personal.

This fear is also completely different than an abusive parent from whom one wants to run away. That goes back to terror or dread.

You can not run from your all-knowing, all-loving Father. Remember, He is omnipresent and omniscient. The only direction to run is towards your Heavenly Father’s loving arms. He will embrace you every. single. time.

The fear of the LORD is a reverent AWE or overwhelming wonder that stretches from the heart of a believer up to the heart of The Father. It’s the quickening of the heart when you realize He planned for you before you were born and created you perfectly for “such a time as this.”

At first, the fear produced in awe may appear to dictate obedience, but not because we have to follow Him, rather because we overwhelmingly want to.

The position of a believer’s heart is humbled in His mighty and holy presence. The Creator of all creation adores you. The fruit of humility is obedience. Who doesn’t want to please an awesome, majestic Father who always has your best interests in mind?

Our Heavenly Father, holy and sacred, sent His Son to the world to die. First Jesus walked with us to show us how to live in holy reverence. Jesus never considered Himself more important than anyone else including His Father. In fact, He humbled Himself on the cross to die for mankind, so we could be covered with the blood of His grace and mercy.

To a believer, a healthy fear of the LORD brings holy contentment.

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 (NASB) Holy contentment is contagious! Why aren’t you shaken by what is happening in the world? Why does the news not bother you? Why are you not scared of what you can see? Why are you so content?

Because God is good. “Come and hear all who fear God and I will tell of what He has done for my soul.” Psalm 66:16 (NASB)

I know He has protected me.
I know He has fought battles for me I cannot see.
I know He watches out for my children who are my heart.
I know this, because He gave His heart, or His child, for me.

“The love of God has wrapped us round from before the foundations of the world. If we fear Him–that is, if we are brought to our knees before Him, reverence and worship Him in absolute assurance of his sovereignty, we cannot possibly be afraid of anything else. To love God is to destroy all other fear.”—Elisabeth Elliot

Students, athletes, parents, teachers, administrators, friends, family, you’ve got this today, because He has you.

These truth’s come from God’s Word.
God’s Word is true. God’s Word is enough.
You are so loved. I am praying for you.
Happy Monday!