How Having the “Fear of the Lord” Will Bless You Every Day
Both David and his son, Solomon wrote:
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10
Solomon also wrote that the “fear of the Lord” led to:
- True Knowledge (Proverbs 1:7)
- Understanding (Proverbs 2)
- Life (Proverbs 19:23)
And Luke wrote in the Book of Acts:
The church had peace . . . and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord.
Acts 9:31
I’ve spent years wondering about the true meaning of those words. What does it really mean to “fear the Lord?”
And I’ve often heard it explained as having reverence, awe, and respect. All good words and helpful but I continued to wonder . . . if the “fear of the Lord” is simply “awe” or “respect” then why didn’t the Spirit inspire Solomon and others to use those words? Why would God want us to “fear” Him?
If He is loving, kind, and compassionate why would He ever use the word “fear” when talking about our relationship with Him?
Then it hit me like a lightning strike…
Have you ever loved someone so much that just the thought of disappointing them upset you? A parent? Grandparent? Teacher? Coach? Spouse?
I believe that God wants us to love Him so much that we want to KNOW, TRUST, and OBEY Him more than anything!
Dr. Paul Foelber was one of those people for many of us in college. He was our choir director. He didn’t have to give us a long list of rules because each year the upper class told the newcomers what he expected. He inspired us to work harder than we believed we could and made us better than we believed we were. He loved us and we loved him. And because we loved him, we wanted to do what pleased him.
The amazing thing is that doing what pleased him made us a better choir and better people.
Our Heavenly Father loves us so much! He knows what is best for us. He knows that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of His love and will for us, will bless us now and eternally.
The thing is, we can’t do what pleases the Lord if we don’t KNOW Him.
Peter wrote:
By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.
2 Peter 1:3
Through Jesus, who lived, died, and rose again to suffer the punishment you and I deserve; and through the Spirit who gives us faith, and helps us KNOW, TRUST, and OBEY . . . we have “everything we need” to humbly live with love that “fears” disappointing the Lord.
Yes, the “fear of the Lord” is awe and respect and reverence but I believe more than anything it is LOVING Him with all we are . . . heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And when that is our heart’s desire . . . He promises to give us everything we need.
Will you pray with me?
A Prayer to Live Every Day with the
“Fear of the Lord”
Father, You have given me everything . . . life and a future filled with hope. Because of Your faithful and unfailing love, You sent Jesus to suffer the punishment for our sins. I can look forward to a forever future with You because Jesus gave Himself for me. I was lost in selfishness and sin and through Jesus, You saved me.
Your Word tells me that fearing You leads to wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and life. It also tells me not to be afraid. So, Father, it took me so long to comprehend what it meant to “fear” You. Then You reminded me of the people in my life like my parents, my “gram”, and wonderful mentors who I loved so much that I wanted to know and do what pleased them . . . not because I was afraid of what they’d do but because I loved them and didn’t want to disappoint them.
I love You, Lord. I want to live each day showing You how much I love You. I want to honor You and show the world the blessings You offer through Your grace, mercy, and love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
I believe this quote explains it well:
Godly fear is loving and trusting in Him. As we fear God more completely, we love Him more perfectly. And “perfect love casteth out all fear.” I promise the bright light of godly fear will chase away the dark shadows of mortal fears as we look to the Savior, build upon Him as our foundation, and press forward on His covenant path with consecrated commitment.
David Bednar
God loves perfectly. He is the source of all love. He is the source of strength and hope. He gives us what we need each day and removes our fear of the future.
When you and I have the fear of the Lord within us . . . we no longer have to fear anything else.
May He bless you today and fill you with His perfect love.
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What a wonderful insight…
“I don’t want to disappoint God”! Love that, and will keep it in mind as I go through my days.
A lot on my mind…with a new chemo drug appt coming next week. Fear does rise. But God is already there.
Thank you, Nina! I’m so glad it blessed and encouraged you. May God be with you and bless you. We’re praying for you as you go through treatment . . . that God will heal you and give you His perfect peace.
Loved your explanation of what it truly means to fear the Lord, Deb. We love Him because we never want to disappoint Him or break His heart. That’s what we fear the most, isn’t it?
Blessings, my friend!
Thanks much, Martha! Yes, I want to love Him every day in ways that show Him how much . . . ways that please His heart. God bless you! Hope you’re having a great week!
Thank you so much for that insight. I cry sometimes when I am just talking to The Lord because ( as I tell Him ) I want so much to make Him smile. I never want to hurt Him.
God Bless You.
What a beautiful prayer, Rae. I’m sure it’s one that blesses His heart. I’m with you . . . I never want to hurt him. God bless you!
Perfect timing. Recently part of my prayer is asking the Lord to enable me to love Him the way He loves me/us. Through my life, I was the blacksheep causing sadness, hurt and anger in God’s eyes. So, there came a deep desire that I want things to change, so I could be His joy and delight.
And it’s His love that I grab each time fear knocks on the door, reminding Him that *You promised……*. And each time the Heavenly Father reminds me that regardless of my incompetent prayers, He heard them. Two days ago almost lost my husband again. But the Lord, faithful to His promise, used our dog to alert me that something is wrong, otherwise he would have suffocated. Through the entire ordeal until my husband regained consciousness, I kept repeating that You promised my Lord, you promised….along with the relevant passages that the Holy Spirit brought to my thoughts. Then came the next fear, will it happen again the following night, as these events tend to come in pairs. So I just laid it in Jesus’ hand, asking for a releif for all of our body and soul and decided that even if it kills me, I’m going to TRUST Him. And glory to His faithful love, the night came and went uneventfully, hallelujah!!!!
Yes, He is THE God, the only One, the One Who is worthy of our love, cherishing, and commitment. Blessings my friend
Oh, Gaby, that had to be very frightening. I’m so thankful that God is giving you the strength you need and for the blessing of your pup who alerted you to your husband being in danger. Asking God to watch over you both and give you healing and strength each day. God bless you, my friend!
???????? He’s been faithful and filled with mercy toward us. Two nights in a row kept us in His love secure. Thank you for the prayers Deb
Praising God with you, Gaby! God bless!!
I love this Deb! It breaks my heart to think of hurting God’s heart. I say that but then I find myself wrestling with Him over something He wants me to do. We are such a work in progress, aren’t we? I love your writings! Blessings sweet sister … ????
Deb, thank you for breaking the fear of the Lord down for us here. I too wonder about that and your explanation builds on top of what I already know as fearing the Lord. I love that by fearing God all our fears are chased away.
Thank you, Deborah! Your encouragement is very much appreciated. God be with you and bless you!
I enjoy your posts I love to read of others experience and perspective. The Word is like diamonds with so many facets. I believe our relationship with Father God is all about being not doing. Our Father is never disappointed in us if we are “In Christ” just as Adam and Eve were in the garden, protected,guided,provided for, had beautiful fellowship, so are we in Him. Jesus said He was the true vine – we can do nothing of any value unless through Him- even loving God. Thank you for your take, and the thank you for the effort you put into your posts. Shalom 🌸
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement, Carolyn. What a beautiful way to describe God’s Word. I love it and completely agree. There is nothing better than knowing that we are forever embraced in the arms of our loving Heavenly Father. Oh, how my hearts desire is to show Him how very thankful I am for His grace, mercy, and love by living each day for His glory. God be with you and bless you!