The Fear of the Lord

There was a fifteen year old boy who had moved into a new area and had to settle into a new school. He was anxious to be accepted by his peers and to make some friends. After all, don’t we all like to have people who want to be our friend?

On the first day a couple of lads invited him to go with them behind the sports hall, where they could smoke without being disturbed. Feeling a bit sad he turned down the invitation.

The next day a small gang of boys said they were going to skip the maths lesson as one of them had managed to get some bottles of cider and they were going to the park; would he like to join them? Feeling rather sad he turned down the invitation.

A few days later he was welcomed to walk homewards with another couple of boys, and they showed him a short cut through the backs of some houses. On the way they picked up some stones, and started throwing them at the green-houses in the gardens along the way. He felt quite sick about this, and protested to them, and said he was off. They asked him what was the matter with him, and why he didn’t want to join in with any of their fun. He said “It’s because of my dad”.

They wanted to know more, and asked if his dad would thrash him, if he found out, and was he scared of his dad. He explained that, actually, it was the exact opposite. His dad was a great dad, very loving and supportive, and would do anything for him. They couldn’t understand, then, why he didn’t join in the fun.

He went on to explain that he knew his dad wanted the best for him, and that he would be sad and disappointed by this kind of behaviour from his son. He told them that he wanted to do what would please his dad and make him happy.

In Proverbs 29:25 we learn that, ‘the fear of man can be a snare’. If we are going to worry what people think of us, when we try to stand up for what we know God would want of us, it certainly could be a hazardous trip wire, or a baited hook.

As I started looking into this biblical phrase: ‘the fear of the Lord’ I was amazed how many times it appears in the Scriptures. Proverbs 1:7 is very encouraging, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’. When you know that Father God loves you, why would you not want to honour and reverence Him? It’s more than that, though. Let’s ask Him to reveal to us all that it means.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, would You, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, enable us to understand what it means to ‘fear the Lord’, and then to walk in that godly fear. Thank You, Amen.