Learning to Fear the Lord: Deepening Your Awareness Of God’s Presence

We do not naturally seek to honor God, because our sinful natures lead us to pursue selfish pleasures instead of delighting in God and discovering the joy of knowing and loving Him. We must choose to walk in the fear of the Lord. The psalmist David prayed, “Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice that it may fear thy name. ” (Psalm 86:11).

Throughout the Bible, many promises are given to those who fear the Lord, such as Proverbs 22:4: “The fruit of humility is the fear of the Lord, riches and glory and life.” It is wise to be governed by a healthy fear of God!

The following disciplines will help you comprehend more of His greatness and more of your dependence on Him, thereby learning the fear of the Lord.

Consider God’s Creation

When we look around at God’s creation—the majesty of towering mountains, the expanse of oceans with their high tides and low tides, the intricacy of delicate flowers, the brilliance of the sun, and the glory of our galaxy—we can catch a glimpse of how awesome our God is!

• The psalmist David often expressed his awe of God by meditating on God’s handiwork. He wrote, “For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded. What is man that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3–4).

• When God gave His Law to the nation of Israel, He first revealed His mighty power through nature so that the people would learn to fear Him. “And all the people saw the voices and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking: and being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, Saying to Moses: Speak thou to us, and we will hear: let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people: Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that the dread of him might be in you, and you should not sin.” (Exodus 20:18–20).

• The Apostle Paul also recognized that God reveals His power to mankind through His creation. “. . . That which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19–20).

Respect God’s Word

Having a high regard for the Bible, the Word of God, is an essential part of growing in the fear of the Lord. When we take time to read Scripture and commit to applying its universal, non-optional truths, we learn more about the nature of God, His ways, and our role as His creatures.

• All the people of Israel were to gather to hear the Word of God so that they would learn to fear Him. “And the people being all assembled together, both men and women, children and strangers, that are within thy gates: that hearing they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and keep, and fulfill all the words of this law: That their children also, who now are ignorant, may hear, and fear the Lord their God, all the days that they live in the land whither you are going over the Jordan to possess it.” (Deuteronomy 31:12–13). (See also Deuteronomy 4:10, 6:24, and 8:6.)

• ^"Thou shalt set him whom the Lord thy God shall choose ....And when he is made king,... he shall copy out to himself the Deuteronomy of this law in a volume, taking the copy of the priests of the Levitical tribe, And he shall have it with him, and shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and keep his words and ceremonies, that are commanded in the law;" (Deuteronomy 17:15–19).

• Today, Christians have been made a “Kingdom of kings and priests unto God” (Revelation 1:6). We are to understand the worth of Scripture and to study it and apply it to our lives. “All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, That the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16–17).

Learn From Scriptural Examples

God’s glory and holiness call for our worship and submission. When people in Scripture encountered God, they instinctively demonstrated a deep reverence for Him. We can learn from these examples in our quest to fear God as we should.

The thought of God’s judgments on sin should strike fear into every heart:

• David used strong language to describe God’s judgments. “Thy wrath hath come upon me: and thy terrors have troubled me.” (Psalm 88:16).

• The Apostle Paul spoke of God’s judgment as a motivation to preach the Gospel. "For we must all be manifested before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil. Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we use persuasion to men;. . .” (II Corinthians 5:10–11).

Supernatural demonstrations of God’s power often left people trembling with fear:

• "In the same hour there appeared fingers, as it were of the hand of a man, writing over against the candlestick upon the surface of the wall of the king's palace [God Himself wrote on the wall]: and the king beheld the joints of the hand that wrote. Then was the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him: and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees struck one against the other." (Daniel 5:5–6).

• On the morning of Jesus’ resurrection, an angel appeared and rolled back the stone from the door of the tomb: “And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men.” (Matthew 28:3–4).

When Godly men of the Old and New Testaments heard God’s voice and saw His glory, they were filled with the fear of the Lord:

• The prophet Isaiah responded with fear when He saw a vision of God in the temple. “And I said: Woe is me, because I have held my peace; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips, and I have seen with my eyes the King the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5).

• When the prophet Daniel saw a vision, he testified that he had no strength and fell down prostrate: “And I being left alone saw this great vision: and there remained no strength in me, and the appearance of my countenance was changed in me, and I fainted away, and retained no strength. And I heard the voice of his words: and when I heard, I lay in a consternation, upon my face, and my face was close to the ground. And behold a hand touched me, and lifted me up upon my knees, and upon the joints of my hands. And he said to me: Daniel, thou man of desires, understand the words that I speak to thee, and stand upright: for I am sent now to thee. And when he had said this word to me, I stood trembling.” (Daniel 10:8–11).

• At the time of the Apostle Paul’s conversion, he was astonished at Christ’s message to him on the road to Damascus. The revelation of God’s reality and glory overcame all previous misconceptions about Jesus’ identity: "Who said: Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad. And he trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:5–6).

• When the Apostle John received the revelation about the end of the world and saw Jesus on the Isle of Patmos, he was filled with the holy fear of God: “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned. . . . And when I had seen him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying: Fear not...” (Revelation 1:12, 17).

When we encounter a power that is far greater that we are, we often respond with fear. This response was demonstrated by people who witnessed the supernatural power of Jesus Christ:

• The disciples were afraid when Jesus stilled the storm: “And they feared exceedingly: and they said one to another: Who is this (thinkest thou) that both wind and sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41).

• When Jesus cured a man possessed by many demons, the people feared Him: “And all the multitude of the country of the Gerasens besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear. . . .” (Luke 8:37).

• Jesus’ disciples were frightened when He appeared to them after His resurrection: “Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them, and saith to them: Peace be to you; it is I, fear not. But they being troubled and frightened, supposed that they saw a spirit.” (Luke 24:36–37).

Welcome God’s Chastening

When we rebel against God’s holiness, we will surely face consequences. God’s chastening of sin is painful, yet it is the expression of a loving Father’s care for His children.

• Scripture instructs us to embrace God’s discipline and learn from the reproofs of life: “My son, reject not the correction of the Lord: and do not faint when thou art chastised by him: For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth: and as a father in the son he pleaseth himself.” (Proverbs 3:11–12).

• The Body of Christ is challenged to receive God’s chastening and become more holy: “Persevere under discipline. God dealeth with you as with his sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not correct? . . .Moreover we have had fathers of our flesh, for instructors, and we reverenced them: shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits, and live? And they indeed for a few days, according to their own pleasure, instructed us: but he, for our profit, that we might receive his sanctification. Now all chastisement for the present indeed seemeth not to bring with it joy, but sorrow: but afterwards it will yield, to them that are exercised by it, the most peaceable fruit of justice.” (Hebrews 12:7, 9–11).

• David expressed the pain of past failure in Psalm 51 and humbly sought God’s mercy and cleansing: “To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and mayst overcome when thou art judged.. . . . Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.. . . . Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.” (Psalm 51:4–10).

Give a Offering From Your Increase

Along with supporting the work of the local parish, one of the purposes of giving is to learn to fear the Lord: Part of walking in the fear of the Lord is acknowledging that God is in control of every aspect of our lives, including our resources.

• The Apostle Paul reaffirms the same truth: “Now this I say: He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly: and he who soweth in blessings, shall also reap blessings. Every one as he hath determined in his heart, not with sadness, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound in you; that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work,” (II Corinthians 9:6–8).

Recall the Chief Duty of Man

Israel’s King Solomon is renowned as the wisest man who ever lived, yet he made serious mistakes. Solomon forsook the fear God. Even though he received tremendous blessings from God, he disobeyed God’s Law in numerous ways and eventually worshiped false gods. God held Solomon responsible for these sins and brought judgment to the nation of Israel and to Solomon’s family because of them. (See Deuteronomy 17:14–17, I Kings 4:26, and I Kings 11:1–13.)

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon records his observations about the meaning of life. In the end, he states that the “conclusion of the whole matter” is the fear of the Lord. Let’s heed these words of warning from a man who knew the justice and judgment of God!

“Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is all man: And all things that are done, God will bring into judgment for every error, whether it be good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).