Walking in Reverential Fear of God – By Dan Spitz
When we think of fear, we usually equate it with fright, dread, panic, terror or perhaps trepidation. However, fear is also defined as having a reverential awe of someone or something, a profound reverence and awe – especially towards God. If we think of fear in terms of the latter definition, we can understand the importance of fearing God.
My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the Lord, have spoken! “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. (Isaiah 66:2 NLT)
This past Sunday, Pastor Eric shared four points to keep in mind when we think of fearing God. And he introduced his message with this quote from Oswald Chambers: It is the most natural thing in the world to be scared, and the clearest evidence that God’s grace is at work in our hearts is when we do not get into panics…. The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.
The first point is that when we fear God, He becomes our first response in a crisis. That includes avoiding the familiar pathway of faith in human strength. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) says Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.So when we learn to make God our first response in every situation, we can avoid those paths that lead us into the wilderness and uncertainty. But that involves putting ourselves in a position to hear God’s directions. So we must strive for knowledge and understanding of His Word.
Secondly, when we fear God we let God fight for us. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) makes the point; Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body”. God purchased us at a price and put the Holy Spirit within us. So we can live daily with discernment and the understanding that our battle is not against people (especially our spouses). Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) states For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. So we must allow God’s strength to work through our fears and weaknesses.
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT)
Our fear will be lifted when we make sure that we are pursuing God’s interests and not just our own selfish desires. We cannot expect God to answer our prayers and bless us in our disobedience. So we must align our prayer requests with the Word of God.
The third point is that when we fear God we make praise and thanksgiving a priority in our lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) says Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
And finally, when we fear God it will lead others to fear God. As we stand for what God has called us to do in our marriages, being obedient to His Word, we must always be aware that people are watching us to see if we are real. And through God’s awesomeness and faithfulness, they will see what our God can and will do. So we have a huge responsibility to demonstrate our reverence and awe of God to our family, friends and others. As Romans 5:19 (NLT) reminds us, Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
Although in our obedience to God, we may be criticized or thought to be crazy, even by other believers, we can fear and reverence the Lord with total confidence in His unfailing and unconditional love. So reverential fear of God is essential in our spiritual growth and walk; when we fear God, He will not allow any other fear to consume us.