Fearing God does not mean being scared of, instead it means having revered respect for, or being in awe of. C S Lewis puts it as a "feeling of wonder and a certain shrinking" or "a sense of inadequacy to cope with such a visitant of or prostration before it". Or, "There is the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honour, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear." Robert B. Strimple.
I think Proverbs has it down to a tee. Fearing the Lord is definitely wise! He is after all all-powerful and mighty, the creator and saviour of the world!
Proverbs 8:13,20: ‘To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech ... I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice.' Or as the book of James puts it, ‘Wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere’ (James 3:17).
Love the writing and the photo, Harriet! Beautiful. :)
ReplyDelete