What does it mean to fear God?
To fear God means that we have a reverent submission to Him (we obey him and follow His commands) that leads to obedient trust AND worship.
We should fear God because he’s intrinsically worthy of our fear and obedience and worship.
Really all Scripture is proclaiming the worthiness of our God to be feared and worshiped.
And fearing God is also for our good. Thus, we should fear God because it’s for our good to do so.
- Ps. 111:10/Prov. 1:7—Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge
- Ps. 115:11—He is a help and shield to those who fear Him.
- Ps. 115:13—He will bless those who fear Him.
- Ps. 118:4— Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Amen, His love endures forever.
The fear of the Lord is intimately tied to our own happiness and holiness.
Let’s think about what Fear of God actually looks like in action as presented in Scripture.
How do we begin to walk in the fear of the Lord, how do we walk in the fear of God rather than the fear of man?
Well, only a greater fear will displace a lesser fears. Our main concern should not be “finding solutions” to our fear of man, but instead seeking after a deeper fear of the Lord. I think this orientation is so important. If you leave this podcast episode feeling less controlled by what other people think, but with no greater fear of God, then you’ve missed the point entirely!
So, you might be wondering, how do we do we put on fear of the Lord every day?
1) First, meditate on the gospel.
2) Study the character of God.
A few books, apart from Scripture, that provide great starting points to knowing and understanding God better are:
3) Repent of pride (Prov. 3:7).
To fear God is to reverently submit to Him in such a way that leads to obedience and worship. It is to happily and joyfully obey Him. To fear God is the beginning of wisdom. God alone can bear the weight of your deepest longings. He alone can receive the worship you were created to give.
