Did you ever notice the absence of the fear of (respect for) the Lord in people today. Everyone is a god unto him/herself, and they make up their own rules for life as they go along. Or else, they create designer gods that fit their philosophy of life and which do not require anything from them.
Why should we fear/reverence the
Lord? God instructs and confides in those who fear Him. The path of those who
reverence the Lord includes prosperity (Psalm 25:12-14). He stores up goodness
for them that take refuge in Him (Psalm 31:19). He delivers from
famine and death all those whose hope is in His unfailing love (Psalm 33:18-19). He sends His angels to camp around those who fear Him and He delivers them
in their times of trouble. He is a refuge to them and they lack no good thing (Psalm 34:7-11). He provides food for them who remember his covenant forever (Psalm 111:5). He takes His delight in them (Psalm 147:11).
Other reasons we have such a
high regard for the Lord is that whatever He speaks and commands always comes
to pass (Psalm 33:8-9). He
puts a new song into our mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many unbelievers
see why we sing to Him and then they put their trust in the Lord too and come
to fear Him (Psalm 40:3). He
gives a heritage to those who fear His name (Psalm 61:5). His love for us is a high as the heavens are from
the earth (Psalm 103:11).
To those who obey His
precepts and remember His covenant, His love is from everlasting to
everlasting…in modern vernacular that is as far as infinity and beyond! (Psalm
103:17-18). He is our help and our
shield in times of danger (Psalm 115:11). When
we fear Him and walk in His ways we are blessed, we eat the fruit of our labor
and His blessings and prosperity are ours. Even our family increases and is
fruitful (Ps 128:1-4) and His
mercy extends from generation to generation (Proverbs 1:50).
Conversely, those who are
wicked and sinful and flatter themselves too much to repent of or to hate their
sin do not fear the Lord (Psalm 36:1-2).
God brings to everlasting ruin those who do not make Him their stronghold, but
trust instead in their earned wealth and grow strong by destroying others. He
snatches them up, uproots them and removes them from their homes (Ps
52:5-7).
Therefore, it does not make
sense for us to be wise in our own eyes. If we fear the Lord and shun evil, God
will bring health to our body and nourish our bones (Proverbs
3:7-8). In Exodus 20:18-20, God shows His mighty power to the
Israelites. They are so convicted of their unholiness in His sight, and are so
fearful of His awesome power, that they cower behind Moses. The wise will hear
this message and learn from it (Matthew
7:24).
Prayer:
Lord God, You are a great God and
most worthy of our praise. You are to be feared above all gods. For other gods
are mere idols made of wood and stone, but You are the one who made the
heavens. We will fear You and praise You and we pray that all of our
descendants will honor and revere You (1 Chronicles
16:25-26; Psalm 22:23).
Thought for the Day ~
The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom...without it, we are reduced to fools.
