February 7th, 2025
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” -Proverbs 1:7
When I was a small child, the one person in the world whom I probably feared the most was also the one that probably loved me most….my dad. My dad was a Kentucky State Police Captain. He was a stern and well-respected man and he did truly invoke fear in some people, including me! Why? Because we knew he had a lot of power over us. In the case of the men and women who worked for him, he was their commanding officer, and if they didn’t do as he said, they could be in big trouble. The same was really true for me at home. I knew he was a man of great power, and that he also had power over me. I had fear, because I knew he had control over my present and my future. He could punish me at any point he chose to do so, and I would be helpless against his wrath. But along with fear, I had a great deal of respect and trust in him, because I knew that he was good, as good as a human could be, and that he loved me more than anything in the world.
There are around 360 verses in the Bible where fear is mentioned. Several of these instruct us to “fear the Lord,” but many of them employ us to “fear not.” So why would we be told to be fearful, then be told to fear not? It’s simple. God is all powerful, and to be feared. All that is in heaven and the earth is His. And His wrath would be an indescribably terrible thing to face. The things and people of this world on the other hand, are not to be feared. In the midst of the trials and tribulations of this world, we must remember that this life is temporary, but a vapor. God is the one who gives us victory over this broken world and over death. He is the only one who can save us for eternity…..and He is for us.
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” -Psalm 118:6
As was the case with my dad, God is definitely in a position of power over us. But unlike my dad, God is capable of things no human could ever even imagine. He is sovereign. Nothing is impossible for Him. Not only is He able to do anything in this life, but He also is the one who controls our final destiny.
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” -Matthew 10:28
As the Proverb says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A healthy fear of the Lord helps us to see the big picture, to understand that the One who controls our life and our destiny is also the One who loves us beyond what we are even capable of understanding. It’s hard to imagine that a being with so much power and who is in control of whether we spend our eternity in heaven or hell could be safe.
“Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? Course He isn’t safe. But He’s good. He’s the King I tell you.” (C.S. Lewis-The Chronicles of Narnia)
He is to be feared, but He is good, and He can be trusted.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-Romans 8:31-39
Thanks be to God for His power, His sovereignty, and for His love for us!
When I was a small child, the one person in the world whom I probably feared the most was also the one that probably loved me most….my dad. My dad was a Kentucky State Police Captain. He was a stern and well-respected man and he did truly invoke fear in some people, including me! Why? Because we knew he had a lot of power over us. In the case of the men and women who worked for him, he was their commanding officer, and if they didn’t do as he said, they could be in big trouble. The same was really true for me at home. I knew he was a man of great power, and that he also had power over me. I had fear, because I knew he had control over my present and my future. He could punish me at any point he chose to do so, and I would be helpless against his wrath. But along with fear, I had a great deal of respect and trust in him, because I knew that he was good, as good as a human could be, and that he loved me more than anything in the world.
There are around 360 verses in the Bible where fear is mentioned. Several of these instruct us to “fear the Lord,” but many of them employ us to “fear not.” So why would we be told to be fearful, then be told to fear not? It’s simple. God is all powerful, and to be feared. All that is in heaven and the earth is His. And His wrath would be an indescribably terrible thing to face. The things and people of this world on the other hand, are not to be feared. In the midst of the trials and tribulations of this world, we must remember that this life is temporary, but a vapor. God is the one who gives us victory over this broken world and over death. He is the only one who can save us for eternity…..and He is for us.
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” -Psalm 118:6
As was the case with my dad, God is definitely in a position of power over us. But unlike my dad, God is capable of things no human could ever even imagine. He is sovereign. Nothing is impossible for Him. Not only is He able to do anything in this life, but He also is the one who controls our final destiny.
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” -Matthew 10:28
As the Proverb says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A healthy fear of the Lord helps us to see the big picture, to understand that the One who controls our life and our destiny is also the One who loves us beyond what we are even capable of understanding. It’s hard to imagine that a being with so much power and who is in control of whether we spend our eternity in heaven or hell could be safe.
“Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? Course He isn’t safe. But He’s good. He’s the King I tell you.” (C.S. Lewis-The Chronicles of Narnia)
He is to be feared, but He is good, and He can be trusted.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-Romans 8:31-39
Thanks be to God for His power, His sovereignty, and for His love for us!
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