Fear of the Lord

They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.'

It's a strange concept to fear the Lord. Many have stumbled over it I'm sure. I know I sometimes struggle with it. God is loving and merciful and full of grace. Why should we fear Him? Should we be afraid that any second He could spew disaster on us? That at any time, fire and brimstone could fall from heaven and destroy us? Probably not the right kind of fear. We can't live our lives trying to appease God (which I believe to be the natural progression of this thought pattern - if God can and will destroy us when He is angry with us, I have to do whatever I can to make sure He is never angry - because that make sense...). It's not unreasonable, it just ignores every verse where God says He is slow to anger and abounding in love. So what then should we fear?

I think we shouldn't be fearful so much as reverent. Mindful. Most of all humble. Fear of a ruler or leader stems from being inferior. You can't fear something that doesn't have some kind of power over you. (I'm not sure what power cockroaches have over me, but they have one because they freak me out.) That's why Satan uses fear to attack us. It gives him some power over us. This is why they say don't let fear control you. When we fear the Lord, we recognize His superiority and power over us to 1) provide everything we need out of love and grace and 2) execute justice on us if we get prideful or adulterous. God can give and take away. We don't have to fear the taking, but we do need to always choose to bless the Lord. He gives us what we need so we should approach Him with reverence.

Lord, grant us our daily bread today - what we need to make it through. Keep our hearts humble as we go throughout the day, and help us to fear You. Fill us with Your spirit. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Grant us wisdom today. I pray for strength to make it through challenges and love to reach out to those around us. Let us never forget our true purpose.

Amen. Amen. Amen.