Oftentimes when you hear the word fear, we think it is something we should be afraid of. In God’s word we see the word fear many times in scripture. In my belief, the loving God we serve does not wants us to be afraid of Him. However, I do believe God wants our respect of who He is… The God of the universe! The one and only living God! The Bible tells us in His word repetitively He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5, 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:24, 5-9, 5:15 ). He clearly makes no bones about that. God wants no other person, place, or thing to come before Him!
So, there is a deep respect we should have for God. II Chronicles 17 describes Jehoshaphat’s reign. He walked with God and that pleased God. It is the same for us. If we walk with God, it will please Him, too. Jehoshaphat heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord (v.6). He had his princes to go out and teach the people about God’s law. Verse 10 says the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the land and no one made war against Jehoshaphat! Jehoshaphat was held in high esteem, but he knew where his blessings came from.
This still applies today. We should have a deep reverence for the Lord. It should not be done in the fear that He is going to “get us” if we do not have reverence. Conversely, it should be done out of our deep love and appreciation of who He is and what He does for us. I don’t think we can ever thank God enough. I will be so ever grateful and thankful for the things He has done for me in my personal life. I felt the spirit of the Lord leading me and guiding me through situations. It was not always easy. In many instances it was contrary to how the world was doing things, but it was God’s way and that is what counted. Yes, here I am today with a fear of the Lord that respects and reverence Him with my whole heart. Love & Blessings