Last week, I was talking with God about the fear of the Lord. It’s an oft-mentioned idea in the Bible and especially in Psalms and Proverbs. I was already familiar with the idea that the fear of the Lord is not terror of God striking us dead if we do something wrong. But what is the fear of the Lord, and how can we cultivate it in our lives?
There are many facets to the fear of the Lord; it’s not one simple box you can check off your list of understanding. Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil” (8:13) and “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (wisdom)” (1:7, 9:10), and “the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life” (14:27); it is also “clean, enduring forever” (Psalm 19:9). If you seek after wisdom, “then you will understand the fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 2:5).
To fear the Lord is to stand in awe of Him (Psalm 33:8). It is to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13) and to intentionally walk the paths that lead to the wisdom of God and to life (Proverbs 19:23, 2:5). It also is very much connected to trusting in God (Proverbs 29:25), which is what I’d like to talk about today.
While it’s not a one-to-one comparison, what would happen if we put “trust the Lord” into some of the most popular verses about fearing God?
“The trust in the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10
“The trust in the Lord is hatred of evil.” (Proverbs 8:13)
“Trust God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
“The trust in the Lord is a fountain of life.” (Proverbs 14:27)
“The friendship of the Lord is for those who trust him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” (Psalm 25:14)
“Oh, trust the Lord, you his saints, for those who trust him have no lack!” (Psalm 34:9)
“In the trust of the Lord one has strong confidence.” (Proverbs 14:26)
“Be not wise in your own eyes; trust the Lord and turn away from evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)
“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the trust of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)
One of the good things about recognizing that trusting God is part of fearing Him is that it’s easier to grasp how we can cultivate the fear of Lord in our lives. Trusting Him – day in, day out – will help us on our way to the promises that come from fearing the Lord.
By fearing the Lord, you gain good understanding (Psalm 111:10), are satisfied with rest and are not visited by harm (Proverbs 19:23), have no lack (Psalm 34:9), receive revelation from God (Psalm 25:14), find blessing (Psalm 112:1), and be blessed with riches and honor and life (Proverbs 22:4, 28:14).
That’s a lot of amazing promises – that come just from fearing and trusting in God!
