WHY MUST WE FEAR GOD?
“Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”
(Psalms 86:11; KJV)
What do you fear most in this world? Some people are afraid of satan, so they
give offerings to devils. They are worried that the devil would get furious, so the devil is
bribed first. One prophesied the birth of a great devil on June 6, 2006 bringing great fear
unto believers. Some fear the loss of wealth that they fight to death trying to keep it safe
day and night. They work very hard, go overtime all the time so that they can stay rich.
Many women are afraid of losing their beauty. They are even willing to put on a
lot of make-up that cost them a lot of money. The most important thing is to keep their
youth and beauty. They take on harsh diets and eat very little. Some diet under religious
pretense of “fasting”, but all they want is actually weight-loss. A person in her forties
would be very happy when people guessed that she's still in her twenties. Looks is very
important.
Some time ago, I had the chance to meet with a congregation member of some
city; he said that in the past year his life had been full of anxiety. Before going to work,
that fear hit him. He was very afraid of his manager, because his manager looked for his
mistakes almost everyday. He felt this great stress and pressure constantly at work that he
finally went to a psychiatrist.
Look at the facts of life, those who fear the devil will strive to please the devil,
that way the demon would not bring harm unto them. Those who fear losing wealth will
strive to gain more wealth. Their mind and heart are set on gaining money. Those who
fear losing beauty will praise themselves constantly, worshiping themselves. From all this
we can see that man prioritizes what he fears most. That is why if today you and I fear the
Lord, then we surely prioritize God. Fear of the Lord also contains feeling of respect and
awe to Him. “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known
to them.”(Psalms 25:14, NIV).
You must be wondering what it means to prioritize God. What is the true meaning
of “Fear of God”?
WHAT IS FEAR OF THE LORD?
When we try to why some writers of the Bible in the Old Testament often express
a feeling of fear of the Lord, then we are reminded once again that in this case “fear of
the Lord” is not like the fear that one has when one is doing something wrong. Is it then
scary to meet the Lord? Fear of the Lord is not the same as the fear of Adam and Eve
after they ate the fruit of knowledge. At that time Adam and Eve were really afraid of
God because of their sin, such that they hid themselves when God called.
Fear of the Lord is not the like when you are driving and crossing a red light in a
rush. You see the cops behind you starting to follow you, then in fear you stepped on the
gas. Fear of the Lord is not like when on an exam you had the temptation to cheat. You
are worried of getting caught by the proctor, then you are in fear. Fear of the Lord is
nothing like any fears under the conditions described above. If not, then what is it like?
We often misconstrue the phrase “fear of the Lord”; we think of God as being
very mean that we have to avoid Him. We consider ourselves sinful in the presence of
God that we don't have the courage to meet Him. Then we refuse or always blame
ourselves. This is a wrong concept. Fear of the Lord means we honor and respect God in
all aspects of our life. Fear of the Lord also means to glorify Him as God, to praise His
name because He is great and wonderful. It must be emphasized that those who worship
God in praise and glory will not orient their lives in worldly matters anymore.
WHY MUST WE FEAR THE LORD?
I am sure that we must have had our own reasons to fear the Lord. Our main
reason to fear God is because He created us. He controls our lives and we are His.
Proverbs 29:25 says: “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to trust the LORD means
safety.” (NLT).
I still remember the Indonesian government under the “New Order”, all staff and
citizens were very afraid of the leaders. We were afraid to criticize or protest. We didn't
dare to hold demonstrations. Not to mention printed media, that would be absolutely
restricted. There are many events in Indonesia that never made it to the news, because if
they ever get published, the publisher would be closed down. Do you still remember
“Sinar Harapan” and “Tempo”? They were once shut down! Nowadays the press is a
little more free, but this freedom is not utilized well by some people. Demonstrations
often go violent, like burning cars and brawls, as if they were still primitive and
uncivilized. Sometimes we as Indonesians who live here are embarrassed to acknowledge
ourselves as Indonesians because of what happen in our beloved homeland. My point is,
power can be destroyed, people do not have to submit other people, because we are all
God's creation. In other words, man's power is temporary. God's power is perfect,
therefore we must fear Him. It is a fear with a feeling of respect.
HOW DO WE LIVE IN FEAR OF THE LORD?
To live in fear of the Lord means to completely surrender everything unto Him.
Our life journey must be completely trusted to the Lord, so that He can guide us. One
who fears the Lord in his life will never worry about his future, because God will never
harm him no matter what. God is Love, and He never goes against His own nature and
character.
Once again, it does not mean that people who fear the Lord never face any
difficulties. It is very possible that their problems and challenges are much greater in the
future. But, they have hope in the Lord. Those who fear the Lord value God's power,
obey His commandments, hate and distance themselves from evil (Jeremiah 32:40,
Genesis 22:12, Hebrews 5:7). In fact, fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
(Psalms 111:10), secret to the righteous way (Proverbs 8:13), something that God cherish
in a believer (Psalms 147:11) and every person's duty (Proverbs 12:13). The Spirit of the
fear of the Lord never tests us beyond our strength, especially if we live in fear of the
Lord.
Ideally, he who lives in fear of the Lord never complains about anything, because
he is knows well that what he receives each day is a blessing and is the best from God.
Jack Coe Jr. in his book 40 Days to Faith says that faith is the most basic level of
someone's belief. On the other hand, he who does not fear the Lord, besides having his
life in opposition with God, God will not find him very pleasing. We worship a jealous
God, He wants us to be utterly faithful to Him. Just as we love someone, when there is a
third person, we will get very upset. However, we could care less if someone completely
unrelated to us wants to switch partners hundreds of times.
PROMISES FOR THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD
For those who fear the Lord, God's word is written in Psalms 25 :12. In the
history of Israel, many kings sinned against God. That's why the Bible says that the spirit
of the Lord left the king's body. Under God, everything succeeds, but once God is out of
the picture, then failures and disasters follow.
Fear of the Lord is also the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). So we can
actually say that evildoers are people who do not fear the Lord. Those who fear the Lord
never test God, they would not dare to go against the Lord. He who fears the Lord is also
humble and this is wealth, honor, and life. (Proverbs 22:4).
Fear of the Lord brings blessing, in the Indonesian translation it is written “Be
joyful” o they who fear the Lord, but in English it says “Blessed” are all they that fear the
Lord (Psalms 128:1, NIV).
God will help those who fear the Lord (Psalm 145:19). This is the bonus, a real
justice. Thus it is soothing to fear the Lord. God is also very happy towards those who
fear Him (Psalm 147:11).
Prioritizing God means prioritizing His will, setting it above our personal needs
and willing to sacrifice ourselves in the process. Quite too often that we think of
ourselves before God's word. Sometimes we even use God's name to justify our actions.
For example, one is determined to marry a nonbeliever simply because of love, yet claims
that it is in fact God's will to bring the nonbeliever to God. Some people justify
corruption by saying that the money will be donated to church. Keep in mind that God
does not need anything like that; He already has everything.
Honestly, our true desire to live in fear of the Lord is hindered when we compare
ourselves with other people out there. Those people seem happier, more successful, richer
and everything such that we cannot accept our life that's full of challenges. Then we ask
and cry to God: “Why?”
In such difficult time, if we continue to fear the Lord, then we will be blessed
despite everything that happens. I don't know if up to this day we have lived completely
in fear of the Lord. If not, then we should read this verse: “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I
will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.” (Psalm 86:11; KJV). I hope there
is inspiration, strength and help from God, transforming us day by day “fear Him more”.
They, who fear the Lord, will surely obey all His commandments. So actually, it's
very easy to check. If we have not been always obedient to God, then there must be
certain aspects in our life that oppose Him. How difficult is it to obey? It's not supposed
to be difficult! If not, then why are we not able to do so? Apparently it's not that easy!
That's why you don't t take it easy.
Self-Reflection:
1. What is fear of the Lord? Why should we fear the Lord? How is the life of a
person who does not fear the Lord? What is God's covenant with those who
always obey His word?
2. Have you ever in your lifetime not fear the Lord? What did you feel at that time?
How did you bring yourself back to the right path and fear the Lord?
By. Ps Saumiman Saud, www.cebc.net San Francisco, Mission Trip to Indonesia, May 08 to May 19. 2025, Suppport US via Zelle 4158139772
