The Fear of the Lord
What does the fear of the Lord mean to you?
Verse of the Day
“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Today’s Devotional
If there is something that leads to life, I want to know about it. This verse tells me that the “fear of the Lord” leads to life. But what does that mean? I need to be honest and say that this phrase has always baffled me. If God’s perfect love drives out fear, then how do I have fear of the Lord?
The commentaries say that fear of the Lord means honoring God, having a reverent awe of Him and being submitted to Him. The fear of the Lord is a posture of the heart that acknowledges God for being exactly who He says He is.
I can rest content if I will honor God. How do I honor God?
I can honor God by choosing to praise Him for everything, acknowledging that He created the world in which I breathe and live. I can honor God by making my relationship with Him a priority in my life. I can honor God by how I treat others, and by how I treat myself. Does the way I treat others and myself bring honor to God? I can honor God by worshiping with a glad and sincere heart. I remember the Sunday after hurricane Harvey hit Houston and our home flooded. I sat in church and cried the entire time. I knew, in the middle of having just thrown away most of my soggy possessions, that God was still God and worthy of my worship. It was not a lovely sight to behold. And I was not happy. But my worship was sincere.
I can rest content if I am in awe of God. How do I foster being in awe of God?
This makes me think of creation. The created world is truly amazing. I can’t watch a sunset or look at the ocean without being in awe of God. The first time we ever went scuba diving, I remember feeling the most overwhelming sense of awe at God’s power to create such amazingly beautiful things that most people never get to see. When I got to see a seahorse in the ocean, I was blown away. They are tiny! The one I saw would have fit on a credit card with plenty of room to spare. It was a moment of absolute awe over God’s creativity. There is also an awe that I have the capacity to feel when I am willing to notice how God has moved in my life. Thinking about how God has delivered me leaves me with a feeling of awe. It is truly a display of God’s power. My husband made a list the other day of the big dilemmas we have had over the last few years and how God provided. Looking at that list, and knowing that there are different dilemmas today, it made me take a deep breath and know that everything was going to be OK. God is truly awe-inspiring, but I have to be intentional to stop and appreciate all that He has done.
I can rest content if I am continually submitting my life to God’s control.
I have to do this daily. And I know pretty quickly in the day if I have forgotten to give God control. Things just don’t go well. I am in a constant state of feeling disturbed. This reminds me of the song “Jesus Take the Wheel”. (It’s not a song I even like.) But instead of submitting to God being in the driver seat, sometimes I am like the mom in the passenger seat with her 15 year old who is learning how to drive, constantly giving corrections and feeling terrified. I mean, surely God needs my constant advice. And my sense of impending doom will make Him change course. Right? Occasionally, though, I’m in the backseat doing my own thing and letting God drive my life without any interference. Those are the days when I am content.
Lastly, notice that the verse does not say that trouble will not happen. It says that we will be untouched by the trouble that occurs. Wouldn’t that be nice if we could get to a place where the world’s burdens don’t affect us because we love, trust and fear God that much? I want to be able to rest content with God. Therefore, I need to be intentional about honoring God, being in awe of God, and submitting my life to Him daily.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What does fear of the Lord mean to you?
How can you honor God today?
Does the way you treat yourself and others bring honor to God?
What things bring you to a place of reverent awe of God?
How can you submit to God, letting Him fully take the wheel today?
Do these things affect your level of contentment?