Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. (Psalm 25:12-15 HCSB)
Fear ordinarily weakens, debilitates, and paralyzes, but not the fear of the Lord, it’s different. The fear of the Lord manifests as a desire to please Him, a fear of being disobedient to Him, and a respect for Him because of who He is. Anyone who fears God should have a clear understanding of how big God is and how small he/she is.
When we have the fear of the Lord all other fears are cancelled out. We can’t fear God and then be afraid of the future, of losing our jobs or our heath, or anything else. The fear of the Lord is the opposite of depression and panic, and so we could safely say that the modern world does not value the fear of the Lord. Depression, panic, anxiety, road rage, addictions… all of these are the result of a lack of the fear of the Lord and they are at epidemic levels.
True peace and joy develop as a result of the fear of the Lord. It may sound contradictory—how can peace be the result of fear?—but it’s true. The fear of the Lord creates peace and joy in our hearts because we have the proper perspective of God. So many addictions and sins would be neutralized if people only developed a fear of the Lord.
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