THE FEAR OF THE LORD

06/25/2023

"The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant." (Psalm 25:14)

Very rarely does the conversation about fearing God augur in Christian circles. What many are more comfortable and conversant with is the love of God. But the message about the love of God is a very generic message. The love of God is to us, what air is to living creatures on earth. The Bible says, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). And then, in 1 John 3:1, it says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."

Love is lavished on and inside us in such a way that many use the love of God as an occasion to sin. There is no shortage of the love of God, and so many have taken it for granted. Well, prophetically, God is saying, "You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward" (Deuteronomy 2:3). The northward call is a call to something beyond the general; to something scarcer than the things the love of God can grant. 

In today's theme scripture, the northward call of the Lord is to His secret. But to know His secret, we must make a transition northwards from just the love of God to the fear of God. The Bible says, "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant" (Psalm 25:14). 

And a good way to define the fear of God is with the story of Joseph when he was approached by Potiphar's wife to lay with her. He said, "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he [Potiphar] kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9)

Joseph was more aware of the consequences of violating God than the consequences of not complying with his master's wife. And he paid dearly for his choice in the short run but in the long run, when God needed to save the entire world of starvation, the secret which He locked away in Pharaoh's dream could only be unravelled by Joseph. "This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land" (Genesis 41:28-30).

Until the consequence of flouting God's word becomes more present with you than repudiating any person, system or law that doesn't align with God, His secret will elude you. You may bask in His mercy, forgiveness and grace as per His love but His secret that makes certain people a wonder on the earth will continue to elude you. 

It is time to encounter the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord.

Have a great day.

Faith-Filled Confession

If people who are evil know how to give good gifts to their children upon request, how much more will you grant me a special encounter with the Holy Spirit in the dimension of the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. I ask now and receive in the name of Jesus. Amen.

One-Year Reading Plan: Job 1-3; Acts 7:1-19