In Hebrew, “Fear of the Lord” is translated Yirat Adonai. The root word Yirah expresses many different aspects of how we should regard God: with awe, reverence, wonder, amazement, fear, astonishment, devotion, and awareness of the sacred and awesome mystery of our relation to an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God...
When taking into consideration the many ideas expressed by the word “yirah,” having a “fear of the Lord” becomes very reasonable. It is actually a call for us to acknowledge God’s awesomeness -- in the universe, and in our lives. It is a declaration of our faith in Him, and how we should love and revere Him.
It reminds us to experience Him with ever-evolving, daily-renewed love and commitment...to realize and worship with gratitude the preciousness of our relationship with our Creator.
In other words: having a “fear of the Lord” is daily-remembering not to take God, and our relationship with Him, for granted. When we respect and regard Him in this manner, it gives our Father His proper place of sovereignty over our lives.
Having this kind of “fear of the Lord” is not a command to consider Him as a terrifying, unforgiving, or wrathful God. “Fear of the Lord” doesn’t mean being scared of God.
When people think, “God is scary!” this perception comes from a distorted perception of the who God is. God has revealed His nature in His Word. From cover to cover in your Bible, you will find that God loves His children and seeks their highest and best good. The apostle Paul described God’s nature as having these hallmarks in addition to love: joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22 - 23).
However, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are the created; He is the Creator.
We are finite; He is infinite.
We are bound by time and space; He is eternal and ever-present.
We know things in part; He knows things in full.
We are wise when we welcome the presence of God into our lives. We are wise when we consult God about who we are and what He has planned for us. We are wise when we realize that God is in control.
This is why the Bible tells us that “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and we are commanded to follow His Word and praise Him in all things, and for all things.
So rejoice daily in having a healthy “fear of the Lord.” It is a truly a profound expression of our faith in Him - and it brings us into a deeper, fuller, more intimate relationship with our Father, the great “I AM!”
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Revelation 21:2-4 [New Living Translation]
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