More Than Scared: The Awe of His Presence
Let’s be honest. The phrase ‘fear of the Lord’ can land awkwardly in our modern ears. For some, it conjures an image of a distant, angry God, a cosmic scorekeeper just waiting for us to step out of line. We live in a world saturated with fear—fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of not being enough. So why would we be called to embrace another kind of fear? The truth, beloved, is that the fear the Bible speaks of is not the kind that chains you, but the kind that sets you free. It is not the terror that makes you run *from* God, but the awe that makes you run *to* Him.
This isn't a new struggle. People have always wrestled with how to approach the Holy One. Consider the woman in the Gospel of Matthew, who had been bleeding for twelve long years. She was ritually unclean, an outcast. Her condition had likely drained her finances, her relationships, and her hope. Yet, she heard of Jesus. And in her soul, a desperate, trembling thought took root: 'If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.' That is the language of reverent faith. It was a mixture of desperation and awe. She was not afraid that Jesus would strike her down for her audacity; she was in awe of the power He carried, a power so immense that even the hem of His robe was saturated with healing.
And what was Christ’s response to her trembling approach? It was not wrath. It was not condemnation. It was pure, unadulterated grace. He turned, He saw her, and He spoke life into her deepest wound. This is the heart of what the `fear of the Lord` actually means. It is the recognition of His awesome power and holiness, paired with the staggering knowledge of His intimate tenderness. It is the posture of a soul that understands who He is—the all-powerful Creator—and simultaneously knows who we are to Him—His beloved children. This kind of holy reverence doesn't create anxiety; it calms it. It tells the lesser fears that they are in the presence of something, Someone, infinitely greater.
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.— Matthew 9:22, KJV
The Reverence That Reorders Reality
Once you begin to cultivate this sacred awe, this `reverence for God`, it changes your perspective on everything else. The mountains of your life—the debt, the diagnosis, the broken relationship—begin to look like molehills next to the majesty of the God you serve. This is because the `fear of the Lord` properly orients your reality. It puts God in His rightful place, which in turn puts everything else in its proper place. Without this reverence, we are the center of our own universe, and the weight of that is crushing. With it, He is the center, and we are free to rest in His sovereign strength.
Look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is facing betrayal, torture, and a death He does not deserve. His humanity is crying out in agony. And at that moment, His disciple Peter tries to 'fix' the situation with human strength. He draws a sword. But Jesus immediately corrects him. In that moment of supreme crisis, Christ’s focus was not on His own power, though it was limitless. He had a reverence for a higher plan—the will of His Father and the fulfillment of Scripture. This is the `fear of the Lord` in action. It is a holy submission that trusts God's plan over our own panic. It is the quiet confidence that the One who commands legions of angels knows exactly what He is doing, even when it feels like everything is falling apart.
This is the choice before us every single day. Will we draw the sword of our own effort, our own anger, our own solutions? Or will we submit to the Father's will, trusting that His ways are higher than our ways? Jesus made the dividing line clear: 'He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.' There is no neutral ground in the Kingdom of God. A true `reverence for God` means we stop trying to build our own little kingdoms and align ourselves fully with His. It is in that alignment, that gathering with Him, that we find our purpose, our protection, and our peace.
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?— Matthew 26:53-54, KJV
The Beginning of Wisdom, Not the End of Joy
The book of Proverbs famously declares, 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.' This isn't just a clever saying; it's a foundational truth for a life well-lived. Why is it the *beginning*? Because until we have a right view of God, we cannot have a right view of ourselves, our world, or our purpose within it. All other knowledge is built on a faulty foundation if it is not anchored in the reality of who God is. Acknowledging His sovereignty, His holiness, and His love is the entry point to all true wisdom.
We see the tragic opposite of this in Jesus' own hometown. The people there had information *about* Him. They knew His family, His upbringing, His trade. They said, 'Is not this the carpenter’s son?' They had facts, but they had no reverence. Their familiarity bred contempt, not awe. They were offended by Him. And the scripture gives us a chilling result: 'And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.' Their lack of holy fear, their refusal to see Him as anything more than the boy next door, became a barrier to the miraculous. They were too proud to be helped, too familiar to be healed. They despised the very wisdom standing in their synagogue.
This is the danger for us as well. We can become so familiar with the songs, the sermons, and the scriptures that we lose our sense of wonder. We can treat Jesus like a comfortable concept rather than the conquering King. But `Proverbs 1:7` calls us back. The `fear of the Lord` is the antidote to spiritual complacency. It is the humility that says, 'Lord, I don't know everything, but I know You.' It is the posture that keeps our hearts soft and our eyes open to His mighty works. This reverence is not the end of joy; it is the very beginning of it. It’s the joy of being in a right relationship with the Creator of the universe, the joy of witnessing His power, and the joy of walking in His wisdom.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.— Proverbs 1:7, KJV
So let us lay down the crippling fear of the world and pick up the holy fear of the Lord. It is not a cowering dread but a life-altering awe. It is the reverence that draws us near to a God who comforts His children. It is the submission that aligns us with a King whose power knows no end. It is the humility that opens the door to a wisdom that will guide you through your darkest night. Do not be afraid of this fear. Embrace it. For in the beautiful paradox of the Kingdom, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of a life without fear.