Some people shy away from the fear of the Lord thinking that it brings fear and trepidation. However, the Bible teaches us that a healthy fear of God is very valuable and we become confident because of it.
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-3
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah was going to come with the spirit of the Lord resting upon Him. Isaiah declared that the spirit of the Lord would bring wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. This is truly a profound passage that lends itself to take time and to meditate on. The very one who came from the Father and spoke of His oneness with the Father, had the fear of the Lord. Jesus had perfect reverence of God in His life. He honored Him and did not handle His relationship with the Father presumptuously.
According to the above passage, the spirit of the Lord brings the fear of the Lord. Therefore, those who claim to be following the Lord but do not have the fear of the Lord in their lives, may not be really following the spirit of the Lord.
Why is it that people try to avoid the subject of the fear of the Lord!? Some want to stand on the freedom that Christ has bought them and focus on the love of God for them. Others feel that if we fear God, we will become legalistic in our walk with God. Others are concerned about becoming performance-oriented in order to please the God they fear. Some just don’t like feeling afraid and want to be fully free in how they navigate their Christian walk.
The truth is that although Jesus had perfect reverence for the Holy God, it did not cause Him to live a fearful, legalistic, or performance-driven life. Instead He was in tune with the voice of the Father and walked in the fullness of truth and grace (See John 1:14). In Jesus’ life, the love of the Father and reverence for Him worked hand-in-hand together and provided a hedge against the onslaught of attacks and temptations from the enemy and the rejection from people.
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. Proverbs 14:26
The fear of the Lord does not bring trepidation but confidence. Everyone wants to be confident but many go about attaining confidence in all sort of carnal ways. They think if they are educated, skilled, competitive, then they can exude confidence. In truth, the fear of the Lord brings genuine and lasting confidence that is established on the character of God not on our behavior. We know that when we walk with God and honor Him with our lives we are under the shelter of His protection. We become more secure rather than feeling fearful and insecure.
The fear of the Lord is about honoring Him for who He is, and understanding that our Holy God has the ultimate authority in all matters of life and it requires our submission and reverence. Sadly, we live in times that honor, authority, and submission are not valued, and we see its consequence in the culture. God has designed His creation to operate optimally under His authority and rulership. The created must value, honor, and submit to the Creator.
When we don’t value God’s authority and revere the Lord of Lords, it brings insecurities, chaos, and confusion, and people live in self-hatred, shame, and guilt. Instead of trying to seek God and discovering what God is asking them to do, they attempt to change their identity and reinvent themselves in variety of ways, so they can find peace in life. In truth, they do have an identity problem, but it is not due to their gender, race, ethnicity, or sexuality, but it has do with their sinful nature and their brokenness that God wants to change, heal, and restore. That’s why the Messiah came with fullness of the spirit of the Lord along with the fear of the Lord showing and teaching people about the Kingdom of God and His desire for humanity.
Revering God and fearing Him in a healthy way is blessing in the life of a believer, and we should embrace it rather than avoiding it. I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
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