I rambled about seeking discipline and being wise in one of my previous posts, which you can read here, and I want to continue that thought on gaining godly wisdom through humbling ourselves to receive correction and fearing God. Psalm 111:10 tells us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". What is fear? I have heard many definitions about what biblical fear is and they all vary from reverence and awe to a trembling fear....I believe that fearing God is simply being afraid. Fearing the Lord is exactly what fear means...to fear Him. If you think about who the Bible says God is, we should fear Him...He is an all consuming fire...a God of wrath,justice, and His character is perfectly holy and wise. Isn't that all very hard to grasp? If we really see God for who the Bible says he is, we will fear Him...which results in bowing the knee in humble submission and desiring to obey Him.

Dr. Ed Welch says in his book, "When People Are Big and God is Small" that the fear of God is this:

This fear of the Lord means reverent submission that leads to obedience, and it is interchangeable with *worship*, *rely on*, *trust*, and *hope in*. Like terror, it includes a clear eyed knowledge of God's justice and His anger against sin. But this worship-fear also knows God's great forgiveness, mercy, and love...It causes us to submit gladly to His Lordship and delight in obedience. This kind of robust fear is the pinnacle of our response to God.

Don't you think we need this kind of attitude before the Lord as foundational to our relationship with Him? How can we accept His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness if we have not grasped the extent of His holiness and hatred of sin. Once we realize that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we can enter into a trusting worshipful relationship to the God of the Bible. God is who the Bible says he is, not what we in our fearless, self loving, independent culture says He is. Yes, he is a God of lovingkindness(I love this word that describes His love toward us),grace, and mercy and I am so thankful that His grace reaches down to us. But, if we miss the other characteristics of God, we will lose the fearing God attitude that is so necessary in how we respond to Him.

Fearing the Lord should drive us towards God...not from Him.

We live in a world that cultivates fear...fear for our children's safety, fear of disease and calamity, fear of the unknowns of life...fear of not being perfect, or even the fear of not being *in control* of our own life. The world feeds on these fears and this can pull us away from God. We must be diligent to seek the healthy fear of the Lord that leads to wisdom, knowledge, and life.

Elyse Fitzpatrick's book, "Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety has some words of wisdom that I'd like to share with you. This book has been very helpful to me as I work on my own issues of fear and worry.

She says:

The kind of fear I'm talking about-the kind that the Scriptures command-is the fear that draws you toward Him, that causes you to fall down before Him in joyous worship, that keeps your heart continually focused on His will, come what may. The Bible says much about the benefits found in this kind of fear. Here are some verses for your consideration:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Psalm 111:10

How blessed is the man who fears the Lord. Psalm 112:1

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence. Proverbs 14:26

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. Proverbs 14:27

The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. Proverbs 19:23

He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is His treasure. Isaiah 33:6

I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. Jeremiah 32:40

She goes on to say: (I love this!)

The apostle Peter, who isn't generally thought of as a bastion of fearlessness, wrote the following to wives who were facing discord and persecution in their homes: "Do what is right", he said," without being frightened by any fear" (1 Peter 3:6). Later in the same passage he also wrote,"Do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts(verses 14-15). What is Peter saying to us? He's saying that we need to fear God more than we fear anything or anyone else. He's saying that even in the face of our gravest fears, we must fear God more and move ahead in faithful obedience.

A wonderful quote from Charles Spurgeon:

When the heart is filled with the fear of God there is no room for other fears. The fear of God must reign supreme in the heart. When it does, it drives out all other fears that would enslave us...This fear leans toward the Lord. When thou really knowest God, thou shalt be thrice happy if thou dost run toward Him, falling down before Him, worshipping Him with bowed head yet glad heart, all the while fearing toward Him, and not away from Him. Blessed is the man whose heart is filled with that holy fear which inclines his steps in the way of God's commandments, inclines his heart to seek after God, and inclines his whole soul to enter into fellowship with God, that he may be acquainted with Him, and be at peace.

I truly desire to see God for who he really is through what is written about Him in God's Holy Word, the Bible...I must fear Him and respond to Him Biblically...as a means of obedience, love, and worship. May we all fear the Lord and worship Him today, falling before Him in humble submission, ready to live for Him.