Fear....

Jeremiah 5:20-25 "Announce this to the house of Jacob
and proclaim it in Judah:
[21] Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
[22] Should you not fear me?" declares the Lord.
"Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
[23] But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
they have turned aside and gone away.
[24] They do not say to themselves,
'Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'
[25] Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.

I don’t think that fear of the Lord is abject terror alone. It’s true that when the Bible records people encountering God their reaction is one of fear, but the Lord’s reply is always do not be afraid…. It’s awe inspiring that he has to state this because I points to the power and impact that encountering the glory of the Lord causes.

Fear of the Lord is about acknowledging God in his rightful place, as the centre of everything. It is about having respect for his name, reverence for his word and obedience to his will. It is about conforming our hearts and minds to mirror his. Scripture tells us that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, for by acknowledging God in his rightful place we then start to let the other pieces of our lives fall into their proper order.

The Jews should have done this. The story of the Old Testament is of their inability to consistently do so. But again let’s ask ourselves the same question: where do we acknowledge the Lord in our lives? Check your thoughts, actions and attitudes. Is he at the centre? If he is then the pieces of your life probably fall into their proper place. Or have you consigned him to the periphery of your heart?