Magnifying a healthy holy fear of God
This is the second post in a series about what it means to fear God¹. Last time, we talked about what fearing God actually meant.
Fearing God, from a Biblical perspective, doesn’t mean to be scared of Him. Well, sometimes it does², but that negative fear is still driven by respect and awe for Him.
To fear God is to esteem, respect, honor, venerate, and adore Him above anyone or anything else.
The awe of God is the gateway to having a more genuine relationship with Him. The Psalmist writes:
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
(Psalm 25:14)
While the author of Proverbs writes:
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied³, untouched by evil.
(Proverbs 19:23)
But how?
If being in awe of God is worthwhile, then how do we increase it? John Bevere, in his book The Awe of God, claims that our holy fear of the Lord increases as we see and understand His glory.
God’s glory is His holiness. It’s His beauty. It’s seeing Him as who He is: almighty, grace, truth, everlasting, creator of all things, redeemer, way maker, provider, perfect justice, perfect love. God is in a class all by Himself.
My favorite examples from Scripture
One way to experience God’s glory is through Scripture. When I imagine myself in the same position of certain people in the Bible, I am humbled by who God is.
My two favorite examples are Isaiah (the prophet) and John (the beloved disciple). Isaiah proclaims judgement and misfortune onto Israel:
The look on their faces testifies against them;
they parade their sin like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
They have brought disaster upon themselves.
(Isaiah 3:9)
And then when God gives Isaiah a vision of the seraphim⁴ praising Him, shouting “Holy, is the LORD”, Isaiah looks to himself and says,
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
(Isaiah 6:5)
When given even a glimpse of God’s glory, Isaiah easily concludes how magnificent God is in comparison to himself. He is humbled and in awe of God’s holiness.
Meanwhile, when John is given the vision in Revelation, he “fell at his feet as though dead.” John, a man who walked with Christ in the flesh, recognized God’s greatness even when through a vision. This example gives me pause.
Do I approach God too causally? Do I take Him for granted?
If I met a celebrity or some well-renown person, would be nonchalant with them? Of course not! I would give them the proper amount of attention. But how much more attention and intention would I give the one that saved me; the one who endured the wrath of the Father for our redemption? Remembering this makes me grateful and helps me understand just how wonderful, great, unique, loving, and powerful the Lord is. It increases my awe of God.
What are your favorite reminders of who God is? What helps you magnify your holy fear of Him?
Next time
We’ll look at practical changes in one’s life when a healthy holy fear of God is present. 👇
¹: This series is inspired by The Awe of God by John Bevere. It’s a good book for people who are taking their walk with Christ casually and are wondering “Where is God?”.
²: See Matthew 10:26–28.
³: “Satisfied” can also be translated to “content”.
⁴: Six-winged heavenly creatures
