This is part 3 of a 3-part series. View the entire series here.
Like we talked about in part one, in order to properly fear the Lord, we have to understand who He is.
If you think the Creator of the universe is a cruel, vengeful God who’s always watching and waiting for you to sin so He can punish you, then you’re going to be afraid of Him. You’re not going to want to go to Him when you mess up, you’re going to try to hide all the messy parts of yourself from Him, and you’re going to attempt to be “good” by your own willpower.
But if you know God is holy yet kind, glorious yet gentle, sovereign yet personal, just yet loving, then you’ll want to spend every possible moment in worship of Him. You’ll want to live your life in such a way that brings Him honor. And you’ll want to run to Him at the first sign of trouble, bringing all your cares, worries, hopes, and dreams to the feet of the One who helps you carry them.
So how exactly do we fear the Lord? Here are a few ways.
1. Spend time in His Word.
Fear of the Lord is characterized by a respect for and an obedience to God’s Word. We don’t just read for knowledge—although the Bible has much knowledge to offer! We read for transformation. So as we read, we should pray that the living, active Word of God takes root in our minds and affects change in our hearts.
James 1:22-25 says, “But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (NLT). In other words, we can’t claim to fear the Lord if we don’t let His Word change us from the inside out.
2. Worship Him daily.
God is so unfathomably good and beautiful and majestic. In Psalm 27:4, David expresses this desire: “...that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple” (ESV).
God is so worthy of our worship. In fact, even the angels in heaven worship Him (Luke 2:13; Revelation 5:11-12). A heart that fears the Lord should long to worship Him for His goodness and all the blessings He pours out on His children at all times.
So what does worship look like? It can look like many things—corporate worship through song with other believers in church, private worship in your home or car, or small prayers prayed all throughout the day. You don’t have to be a talented singer or musician to worship God; worship doesn’t even always have to include music! Just offer Him Your heart, give Him your gratitude, and surrender your will to His, and your worship will be a sweet sound to God’s ears (Psalm 141:2).
3. Share His good news with others.
The gift of salvation through Jesus and what it means for us—forgiveness of sins, a lifetime of relationship with Him, and eternity spent enjoying Him in His Kingdom—is news too good to keep to ourselves. The last command that Jesus gives His disciples before He ascends into heaven is to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 NLT). This command is still in effect for believers today!
Loving others the way we’re called to—like God loves them—means feeling a burden for their salvation. We know everything that God has done for us, we know the freedom that’s found in Him, and we know how good He is. So the thought of anyone having to experience eternal separation from Him should spur us into action. We’re not responsible for saving anyone, only God is, but we should take every opportunity to share His love and His plan for redemption with those who don’t know Him.
Luke 1:50 says, “[God] shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear Him” (NLT). Proverbs 14:27 says, “Fear of the LORD is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death” (NLT). Living from a place of holy respect and reverent awe of God brings balance, wisdom, mercy, and peace to us. It’s only right that the created ones should worship and fear their Creator—and He is honored when we do.
