Fear
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. —Proverbs 9:10
It's quite a cliche- that of the God-fearing man. I can almost hear the Duncar women sitting around their quilts and praying for a God-fearing man. I think 'fear' is so far removed from our vocabulary today. In fact, I believe it's somehow morphed into something quite different than the meaning here. Rather than that awful emotion experienced when watching a scary movie, this fear is more like an awe, a recognition of God's might power... a need to serve and honor the one who created and knows and is everything. Only when we begin by understanding the beginning and the end of all things can we hope for a bit of understanding, gleamed from His wisdom.
Lord, so many times I lose sight of the fact that You are the center of it all... like last night, frustrated with my poster, I couldn't see beyond it to the things that matter more than adverbs. And yes, looking back on it now, it is absolutely ridiculous. But for you maybe it's not adverbs, maybe it's a loss from your favorite sport's team, missing a show you really like, a shirt that someone borrowed and ruined. It's so so small God, and only fearing Your power and ultimate holiness can bring us out of ourselves and into You... into a knowledge of You and a motivation to do Your will- living, loving, studying, in a way that is honoring to You.
10 " 'So do not fear, O Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, O Israel,'
declares the LORD.
'I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid. -Jeremiah 30:10
Here we have proof of the fact that there are indeed two different meanings behind the surface form of "fear." While we do need to fear the Lord, we do not need to fear in that "hide behind the covers" sort of way... or that "jump 10 feet in the air" sort of way. I remember when I was watching "The Butterfly Effect" with my friends. I jumped off the couch! They couldn't believe it, and said, "Wo! Katie, it's only 3 minutes into the movie!"
Well, I may be a scaredy Katie, but I don't have be be afraid of what the Lord will do. Last night, Kara pointed out the same thing about Romans. We often talk about our own justification as Roman's message, but everything that is mentioned is to show God's righteousness. We don't have to fear (in hiding way) our Lord, because He is righteous (with a capital R) and holy (with a capital H) and good (with a capital G). Whatever he does is for good... to ultimately be the bringer of peace and security. Lord, I pray that you would teach us to experience the peace of Your goodness... by the grace of Your power, 'fearing' and recognizing Your goodness.
4I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. -Philemon 4-7
And this is an interesting little letter that I read this morning, as Paul uses all his powers of persuasion. But what I never realized before is the mention of saints. Who are these saints? Why is he praised for the love of them? How does he express this love? But, this seems to be connected to the fear of the Lord again. If fear of the Lord moves us to understanding... and sharing of faith also moves us to a full understanding of every good thing, the two (fear and sharing) must be connected. When we acknowledge God's power and authority, we tell about it. It also struck me this morning that sharing has benefits for the sharer as well... we gain understanding... and others have refreshed hearts.
Lord, help me to fear You as I go about this day... sharing Your love.
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