Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour…And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:8-& 10
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. Isaiah 33:6
The fear of God. I’m not sure if there’s a more misused and misunderstood statement in the Bible by unbelievers. The Websters dictionary first lists this definition of fear: “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” And you could certainly say there were people in the Bible who stood in that type of fear of God. The armies who faced Joshua were fearful of his god who gave him miraculous victories. The soldiers who came to arrest Jesus were said to have drawn back and fell to the ground in fear when He revealed himself to them (John 17:6).
But that type of fear doesn’t always bring what the dictionary describes further: : “profound reverence and awe especially toward God.” That’s the type of fear the Israelites felt after they saw the power God brought against Pharoah. Exodus 14:31 says, “they believed in the Lord and his servant Moses.” It’s the same fear or awe of God which Rahab the prostitute experienced when she heard of the power of God against Joshua’s enemies. It’s why she helped Joshua’s spies. She believed, just like 11 of the first 12 apostles.
It seems hard to believe that anyone who witnesses the power and awe of God would just remain fearful and not reverential. Yet Judas did just that.
Today the power of God is seen as “mother nature” or a “big bang.” God’s miraculous healing is called chance or science. Blessings are considered accidents or coincidences. And people fear a god who would put His will upon them, taking away their independence.
Satan is pleased when we sit in ignorance or fear rather than awe. That’s because awe and submission bring people into the promised land of salvation and out of the hands of the devil.
Friend, God is the Lord of Hosts, the leader of all spiritual armies. He is the creator of all things seen and unseen. He is the giver of all good things. He is fighting battles on our behalf right now and in a blink of an eye the world could change. We may not win every battle we go through here on earth but He will win the war. That’s a God we should hold in reverence.
Click here to listen to today’s song: Fear of God
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