The Difference Between Being Scared and Standing in Awe
There is a phrase in the Bible that has been misunderstood, weaponized, and twisted by religion for generations. It is a phrase that has caused people to run away from the very God who is trying to heal them. That phrase is the 'fear of the Lord.' If you grew up in certain environments, you were probably taught that fearing God meant walking on eggshells around the Almighty. You were taught that He is a cosmic dictator, sitting in heaven with a lightning bolt, just waiting for you to mess up so He can strike you down. But let’s put it in context, because we really have to put this in context to understand it right. If fear means terror, if fear means hiding, why would God demand it? Why would Proverbs 1:7 tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge? Knowledge doesn't grow in the dark soil of terror; it grows in the light of truth.
To understand what this actually means, we have to look at the life of Jesus. In Luke chapter 8, Jesus crosses a lake, steps off a boat in the country of the Gadarenes, and encounters a man who has been tortured by demons for a long time. This man is naked, living in the tombs, entirely out of his mind. When Jesus shows up, the demons inside the man are absolutely terrified. They beg Jesus not to command them to go out into the deep. That is earthly, condemned fear. It is the dread of punishment. So Jesus sends the demons into a herd of swine, the swine rush into the lake, and the local townspeople come out to see what has happened. When they see the disruption to their economy, when they see raw, untamed divine power on display, they are struck with a different kind of fear. They are afraid of losing control. They actually beg Jesus to leave their region. They want the Savior to depart because His power makes them uncomfortable.
But then, look at the man who was healed. He isn't running. He isn't begging Jesus to leave. He is sitting right at the feet of the Master. The demons had terror. The townspeople had panic. But this man? He had true reverence for God. The fear of the Lord is not the kind of fear that makes you run away from Him; it is the kind of awe that makes you realize there is absolutely nowhere else you would rather be. It is looking at the sheer, overwhelming power of God and deciding to sit at His feet rather than flee from His presence. It is realizing that the safest place in the universe is right next to the One who commands the wind, the waves, and the darkness.
Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. ... Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.— Luke 8:35, 37, KJV
Recognizing Who Is Actually in the Room
Reverence for God begins the exact moment you realize who is actually standing in front of you. We lose our reverence when we reduce Jesus to a good teacher, a distant historical figure, or a life coach who exists merely to bless our personal plans. But John the Baptist understood the assignment. In John chapter 3, when people started murmuring about Jesus baptizing and drawing crowds, John didn't get defensive. He didn't try to protect his own platform. Instead, he painted a picture of absolute, unadulterated reverence. He reminded everyone that the One they were talking about didn't just come from another town—He came from heaven.
I want you to remember that your situation might be dark, but the One who comes from heaven is above it all. I want you to remember that the medical report might be terrifying, but He that comes from heaven is above all. Earthly fear worries about what people think, about the storms of life, about the bills you cannot pay. Earthly fear speaks of the earth. But heavenly reverence recognizes that the One who holds the universe is currently in the room with you. When you have that kind of reverence, the earthly fears start to shrink. They have to bow to the higher authority.
When you truly fear the Lord, you stop treating God like a cosmic vending machine and you start treating Him as the sovereign Lord of all. You receive His testimony. You set your seal that God is true. True reverence is waking up every morning and declaring, 'Lord, You are from above, and I am from the earth. I don't have it all figured out, but I know You do. I submit my earthly anxiety to Your heavenly authority.' That is what the fear of the Lord actually looks like in practice. It is the daily, deliberate choice to let God be God in your life.
He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.— John 3:31, KJV
Trusting His Goodness When You Don't Understand His Math
Sometimes, the fear of the Lord looks like absolute surrender when the math of your life simply isn't adding up. It is easy to revere God when the blessings are flowing, when the doors are opening, and when everything makes sense. But what about when He does something that offends your sense of fairness? In Matthew 20, Jesus tells a story that challenges everything we think we know about fairness. He talks about a landowner who hires workers for his vineyard. Some men sweat in the blazing sun all day long. Some men are hired at the very last hour. But at the end of the day, the master pays them all the exact same wage. The ones who worked all day start murmuring. They are offended.
Why were they offended? Because they lacked reverence for the master's sovereignty. They thought they knew better than the one who owned the vineyard. They wanted God to operate on an hourly wage, but God operates on unmerited grace. And the master looks at them and asks a question that should pierce every one of our hearts: 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?' This is where reverence gets incredibly real. Reverence for God means letting Him distribute His grace, His timing, and His blessings however He sees fit, without accusing Him of being unfair.
It takes a profound fear of the Lord to look at someone else receiving the miracle you have been praying for and still say, 'God, You are good.' It takes deep reverence to trust that if you are in the vineyard, you are already blessed just to be chosen by the Master. We have to stop murmuring against the Goodman of the house when things don't go our way. Reverence says, 'Lord, I don't understand why this season is so hard, or why that person got the promotion, but I know that You hold the scales. Your grace is Yours to give, and I am just grateful to be in Your field.'
Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?— Matthew 20:14-15, KJV
The Safest Place to Be Is Surrendered
Ultimately, the fear of the Lord is the safest place you can ever live. When you stand in awe of God, you do not have to be afraid of anything else in this world. There is a reality to the wrath of God against sin—Scripture doesn't hide that. But Jesus didn't come to condemn you; He came to rescue you. Look closely at the words in John chapter 3. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. All things. Your pain is in His hand. Your future is in His hand. Your brokenness is in His hand. And he that believes on the Son has everlasting life.
Reverence is simply taking God at His word and putting your entire life into the hands of Jesus. If you have been running from God because you thought 'fearing' Him meant He was angry with you, I want you to lift your eyes right now. Look at the man from the Gadarenes. He had a million reasons to be terrified of judgment. He had a past. He had baggage. But Jesus didn't strike him down. Jesus restored his mind, clothed him in dignity, and gave him a brand new purpose. 'Return to thine own house,' Jesus told him, 'and shew how great things God hath done unto thee.'
For everyone who wants to stop running and start resting, God has called you to this exact moment. He is speaking to you right now through these words. The fear of the Lord is not a chain; it is the key that unlocks your freedom. It is the beautiful, life-altering realization that the Creator of the universe loves you enough to intervene in your storm. Don't be like the townspeople who asked Jesus to leave because His power disrupted their plans. Be like the man who sat at His feet. Surrender your plans. Surrender your need for control. Stand in awe of His majesty, trust in His unfailing goodness, and watch how He transforms the deepest darkness of your life into a testimony of His grace.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.— John 3:35-36, KJV
There is a peace that passes all understanding waiting for you on the other side of surrender. When you finally embrace the true fear of the Lord—when you trade your earthly anxieties for heavenly reverence—you will find that the God you were once afraid of is actually the only safe harbor in the storm. Sit at His feet today. He is good, He is sovereign, and He is waiting for you.