A Proper Fear of God

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,’ declares the Lord. ‘But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.’” Isaiah 66:1-2

The fear of God is a subject that draws little attention today. Many misinterpret its implications while others believe it to be an Old Testament revelation that no longer applies under the new law of grace. Understood properly, however, the fear of God revitalizes our worship, heightens our often low view of God, and sensitizes us to the true nature of evil. A right concept of the fear of God involves a sense of awe and wonder at the majesty of God.

Fearing God does not mean that we shake in horror but that we bow in adoration at His feet. Jesus is described in Isaiah has having “...the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2). Certainly Jesus was not afraid of the Father, but He knew the awesome power and identity of the Eternal One. Fearing God also leads us into a new hatred of evil. We tolerate sin in our lives because we are not fully aware of how vile it is in the eyes of a holy, just God.

How awesome is God in your eyes? How reverently do you treat His Word and His people? How humbly do you come into His presence? How menacing does sin appear? Ask God to give you a proper “fear of God” that exalts Him and steers you into the contrite spirit that God favors and blesses.

The fear of God will do away with the fear of men.