FEARING THE LORD

"O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him." - Psalm 34:9

There are some self-designated "experts" who tell us that we have nothing to fear in life. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." I have heard many Christians say that the Bible has 365 "fear not" verses. I haven't counted, so I assume they are correct. Yet from all of this, a person could easily be convinced that we should never fear anything at any time. Yet that is not true.

The Bible instructs us to fear the Lord. In fact, the Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Our nation is in the downward spiral into moral depravity because people do not fear the Lord. In fact, there are even ministers who say we shouldn't fear God. The Bible contradicts that belief.

In Psalm 34:9, the Bible says, " O fear the LORD, ye his saints." It isn't just the pagan that should fear the Lord, even believers should fear God. In the same verse, the Bible continues, "... there is not want to them that fear him." In this one verse, we find a command and a promise. The promise is contingent upon us obeying the command to fear God.

What does it mean to fear God?

1. RESPECT HIS POSITION

First of all, fearing God includes respecting His position. He is God. We should have a healthy, Biblical understanding of God. Too many people believe in a higher power that they have mentally created. To them, God is just a grandfather-type figure that overlooks everything. Some believe that He is like a butler, ready to serve them at a moment's notice. We need to know who God REALLY is. This comes from His own revelation to us --- the Bible.

2. RESPECT HIS AUTHORITY

Secondly, we need to respect His authority. Since He is God, He can do anything He wishes. Of course, everything He does will be true to His character. Some struggle with the sovereignty of God. They don't like the idea that God is independently authoritative. He does not work according to our ideas, plans and goals. Being the final authority on all things, all of humanity is subject to Him

3. REVERENCE HIS HOLINESS

Next, we need to have a healthy reverence of God. Too many use the Name of the Lord in vain. They treat the Name of God casually and carelessly. Furthermore, some even use His Name as a swear word. Such blasphemy is an extremely serious crime against God. We need to remember that He is holy. None of us are worthy to approach such a holy God. Only through the merits of Christ can we even come to God. Our reverence of Him is due to a proper understanding that He is undeniably holy. In the book of Revelation, John saw the Lord and was so overwhelmed by the holiness of God that John fell at the feet of the Lord. When Isaiah saw the Lord in all His holiness, he cried out, "Woe is me."

4. REALIZE HE IS RIGHTEOUS

When we consider the fact that God is holy, we must also understand that He is righteous. It is easy for us to be boastful when saying that God is righteous and that He will ultimately bring justice to the guilty. Yet that very fact is condemns us. Apart from Jesus, ALL OF US are guilty before Him. Only through the death of Christ can the righteousness of God be imputed unto us. Certainly, rapists, child molesters and murderers will ultimately face the justice of a holy, righteous God, but so will lawyers, doctors, nurses, Wal-Mart greeters, school teachers, fire fighters and the rest of us. Realizing that sin is a treasonous act worthy of death, we should fear God.

5. REMEMBER WE WILL BE JUDGED BY GOD

Judgment day is coming for all of us. The fact that we must face an awesome, holy, righteous God, we should fear the Lord. A proper fear of God would close down liquor stores, shut down pornographic websites, purge Washington of all corruption and end crime in the streets. A proper fear of God would fill churches with anxious, needy souls. It would rid our churches of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. The fear of God would keep us on our knees in prayer.

A proper fear of punishment will keep a child from misbehaving at home and in the classroom. A healthy fear of authority will keep you driving at the speed limit, especially when you see a police car monitoring for speeders. On a much greater level, we should have a real fear of God. He is powerful, just, holy and righteous. The Bible says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

So let's heed the challenge of the psalmist: "O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him."