BY GREG CRUM
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
There is a wisdom that only comes to a heart that fears the Lord. This wisdom enables one to navigate the rough waters of life with greater ease than their peers, allowing an individual to enjoy the good graces of God in this life more fully. Who wouldn’t want this wisdom? Only the fool that scoffs at reverence for the things of God.
Last week we began to think about the awe due our God. We mentioned that He is an awesome God and worthy of our individual and collective awe. I mean, think about it. We are talking about the God who created the universe here, the One who sustains all life with the Word of His Power. If He so desired, it wouldn’t take but a thought and all we know would be turned to nothing, wiped out in the twinkling of an eye. As a matter of fact, when you look at the current state of humanity, you might wonder why He doesn’t do just that. Well, if not for His love for us that would have been the case long ago—all the more reason to stand in awe of Him!
So, Godly fear or reverence is the natural reaction of a wise man or woman who finds themselves in the presence of the God of All. It’s an attitude of heart that is key to allowing God to move in our midst in greater, more spectacular ways, but what does this reverence look like in operation in our lives? How will we know if we are living in a way that demonstrates it?
Well, first and foremost, we must understand that this type of fear is not a mentality that would cause us to run and hide but rather an amazement of the power and magnificence of the Creator of all. It’s a respect for the things of God, a humility that comes from knowing where you stand in the great “pecking order” of all things, and a fair bit of “hero worship” thrown in as well.
Godly fear is a deep respect for the things of God. You can’t really “fear” God and disrespect the institutions and people He has ordained here on this Earth to be His representatives. While it’s all the rage to buck authority in our day and age, we need to be mindful of where that authority originates before we decide to declare “down with the Man.”
Think about it. How can you truly reverence a God you can’t see if you don’t respect the things of God you can see?
It’s sad that so many of our generation have grown to mistrust the institutions of the Lord, and so many have made light of the value of God’s ministries. It’s true that no institution that involves humans will be perfect, but we should still value these gifts because of who they attempt to represent, and in so doing, we can show our respect for the Lord.
Godly fear is also demonstrated in our lives by genuine personal humility. Reverence of God includes a real understanding of our place, or rank, in this universe. Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 and Job 40:1-5 and 42:1-6 remind us of our place in comparison to God in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes we can get full of ourselves and demonstrate a real entitled attitude.
The bottom line is this: God only owes us what He has decided to promise us, and all that He has ever promised is because of His love and grace toward us; it’s surely not because we earned it! A heart that understands this will walk humbly and in reverence and appreciation toward their Maker.
Finally, Godly fear includes a fair amount of “hero worship.”
What do I mean?
Well, have you ever met someone you considered a “hero,” whether that was a pro athlete, movie star, politician or singer? How did you feel? How did you act and react to interaction with them? Were you so nervous about making a good impression that you tripped over your words, feet or both? In other words, were you in awe? Well, how much more should Jesus get this treatment in our hearts and minds?
Colossians 1:15-18 talks about how he is the “image of the invisible God” and that all things were “created by him, and for him.” It goes on to relay that “by him all things consist” – or as one translation puts it, “in him all things hold together.”
Shouldn’t the one holding the very fibers of this universe together be revered? Yes! A thousand times over, yes!
Brothers and sisters, we need to recover genuine awe of God in our churches, homes and lives. God is worthy of our respect. He desires us to demonstrate this in our lives, and not really for any benefit on His part, but so that He can move closer to where we are and demonstrate more of His goodness in our lives.
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple Church in Lovely.