The fear of the Lord is often misunderstood. Because of other fears we have faced in life, some have the idea that the fear of God is bad. They believe that if you love God, you shouldn’t fear him. Yet, there are benefits of fearing the Lord.
The fear of God is good. It is very beneficial for you and me. It isn’t contrasted to the love of God. In fact, it goes hand in hand with the love of God.
The Fear of the Lord is a fountain of life – Prov 14:27. Fearing God leads you to obey his commands. And obeying his commands yields righteousness. And righteousness tendeth to life, Prov 11:19. As Paul wrote in Gal 3:24, “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith”.
When we are saved, we no longer fear death, the grave, or hell. We are saved, and we are heaven bound. Many people don’t come to the Lord until they are faced with the fear of their eternity. And when they fear God and trust Jesus Christ, they are saved and they know it. No more fear of death and hell.
In the Fear of the Lord is strong confidence – Prov 14:26. I’m so thankful for the fear of God. After all, you are going to fear someone. It may be a parent, or your peers, or a professor, or the police, or the principal, or whomever.
But when you fear God, none of these other fears will control you. And this is why in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence. When you fear God and do what he says, you are right with God and you know it. It doesn’t matter what other people think at that point. You are right with the highest authority in the universe.
And your children will have a place of refuge. They learn the importance of fearing God by watching you. And when they see that fearing God leads to the right outcome every time, they will find refuge in the Lord by fearing him like you do. They won’t fall prey to things like peer pressure to fear of the unknown. This is one of the best benefits of fearing the Lord.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom – Prov 1:7, 9:10. God’s word is the absolute authority in the world. When you read and believe God’s words, you have the right view of all knowledge. You get God’s perspective on everything in life.
And even though you read some passages that you don’t understand, you believe them because you fear God. In fact, if you obey and follow the words you do understand, God gives you more understanding. As in school, he starts you out with the basics. And as you learn and obey these words, then he gives you more.
Conclusion: Learn to fear God and you will reap the benefits of fearing the Lord. You’ll be so happy that you no longer live in the fears that once tormented you.