Fear of God means not being afraid…

Defining the fear of God isn’t enough. He is so incredible that being in awe with great respect should be my normal attitude. This should also be expressed and visible in the way I live. John Piper offers a few verses that tell me what fearing God does in my life… 

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, (Psalm 33:18)
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:7)
but you shall fear the Lord your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” (2 Kings 17:39)
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! (Psalm 34:9)
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, (Psalm 103:17)
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psalm 147:11)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! (Psalm 111:10)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10)
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)
The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. (Proverbs 19:23)
But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. (Psalm 130:4)

To simplify this list, having the right attitude towards God means being His friend, knowing the agreement He makes with me, being delivered from threats and enemies, having all that I need, experiencing His compassion and His steadfast love, seeing His righteousness experienced by my family, having His wisdom and understanding available to me, being so sure of eternal life that the threats of death are not a snare, satisfied in His care knowing that even what seems harmful is used for my good, and realizing that I am forgiven and because of that, am not under condemnation.

As Piper says, God calls forth fear by forgiving our sin, not by condemning it. This sounds strange, but it is also comforting. All the above benefits belong to me because of His forgiveness that came to me, an utterly undeserving sinner. And there is one more:

And (her) delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. (She) shall not judge by what (her) eyes see, or decide disputes by what (her) ears hear… (Isaiah 11:3)

This passage goes on to apply fear of the Lord to what I see and how I live, leading to a description of a future in which . . . .  

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6–9)

PRAY: Oh Lord, while I cannot live in the future, I can live in Your promises. The pundits in the media often predict the outcome of everything from sporting events to elections. But who can know for certain what the future holds? I was certain the Jays would not win the ballgame last night, but they did. However, these verses are not like my human hopes. They are the promises of You, my Almighty God. To firmly believe You changes my thinking, gives certainty — unlike horoscopes and pundits. Your promises do not rely on my decisions or efforts to make them happen, only that I have been forgiven and given a deeper understanding of Your  incredible power. I can live in awe of who You are and what You do.