Standing in Awe of God

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” Psalms 33:8

The Hebrew word translated into ‘awe’ in the Bible is yirah, pronounced yir-ah. It often directly translates into fear, like ‘fear of the Lord,’ but it can also mean respect, reverence, and worship. But, make no mistake about it, yirah is strongly connected to ‘trembling’.

In Psalm 2:11, the Bible tells us to Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

The kind of fear we are discussing today is not natural fear, demonic fear, or the fear of man but it is the kind of fear that motivates us to seek the Lord and be moved to a deeper belief and trust in him.  This is the kind of fear the Bible speaks about in Prov. 19:23 says “The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.”

For example, you were faced with a heavy trial that leaves you in pain mentally, physically, and emotionally.  This is the kind of pain so deep in your gut that you thought you would die.  It may have been so devastating that you may have said “there’s no way I am going to come out of this alive!” You began to spiral downwards into a deep depression which seemed to be the end of your life.  But one day, you heard a message about fearing God and loving him and that you can possibly be healed from your damaged emotions.  As soon as the message was over, you ran to the altar, raised your hands as a sign of surrender, and invited God into the depths of your soul.  You began to praise him. You opened your mouth and said “thank you Jesus” “thank you Jesus” and the next thing you knew, you were feeling light and free.  You felt warmth through your body and you begin to cry.  As the tears rolled down your face, you rejoiced because you knew that something took place in your heart. You had been transformed and felt as if a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. It is at this point that you stand in awe of God and his miraculous healing power.  This encounter has caused you to draw closer to God and revere his holiness and power in your life. This, my friend, is a great example of fearing God!

How about you?  Do you fear God?  Do you revere God? Do you stand in awe of him?

These may be questions you never contemplated but today I want to bring this subject of fearing God to your attention because it is through the tough trials that you will learn to “fear God and keep his commandments as it is our whole duty.” (Eccl. 12:13)

My challenge to you today is for you to respond to the word of God in Prov.2:1-5 and seek to understand the fear of the Lord!

¹ My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,
²So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;
³Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,
⁴ If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;
⁵ Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

In Prov. 23:17, the Bible admonishes us to continue in the fear of the Lord all day long. “Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day”

Father God, I pray for every person that will read this blog. I pray that they will have a greater desire to fear the Lord and stand in awe of him especially when they are going through hard trials. I pray for them to have a deeper hunger and desire to dig deep into your word and have a strong foundation so that when the storms of life come they will not be defeated but will stand in awe of you no matter what.  I pray this in Jesus’ Name!

Scriptures for further study: 

Ps. 19:9, Prov. 1:28-29, Ps. 34:11, Prov. 3:7, Job 28:28, Prov. 10:27, Ps. 25:12-14, Prov. 14:26-27, Eccl. 12:13, Prov. 15:6a, Prov. 22:4, Ps. 115:11, Deut. 13:4 and Prov. 1:7a.