Fear

What is fear? Is it that moment when you are suddenly scared? That moment when you see a spider, and run away, screaming? Or is it that moment when you hear a "bump" in the middle of the night? 

Fear is an interesting thing. What do you fear? Do you fear other peoples opinions? Do you fear disapproval? Do you fear... I think we would all immediately think of some worldly thing to fear. But, ask yourself one question: Do you fear the Lord?

Throughout the entire Bible, we are told to "fear your God, for He is the Lord." Psalm 115:13 says, "He will bless those who fear the Lord-- small and great alike." Fear is defined as "reverential awe." But what does it mean to fear the Lord? I, unfortunately, don't have a real answer. I know that one day, I will fully understand what it means to fear the Lord.

But here are some examples of how great God is, and why He should be feared. In Exodus, Moses goes up on Mount Sinai, into the presence of the Lord. When he comes down, God's glory was so great that Moses's face shone, and the people were afraid. In Romans, we learn that Pharaoh was solely there to show God's power, and spread His name. God is all powerful. I think we often forget that. We too quickly rush to the verses of His love and mercy. But we need to remember that He is a jealous and powerful God. He will one day judge us for all we've done. We will give an account to Him, and on that day, I believe we will truly understand what it is to "fear the Lord". When we are standing there, at the gates of heaven, we will realize how powerful He is and how insignificant we are. We will understand and regret that we did not fear the Lord in our time here on earth.

Don't get me wrong, He is merciful, loving, and forgiving. But we are clearly told to fear the Lord, and I believe that we often forget this. We think of Him as a loving Father (which He is), that we will rush up to and "bear hug". But ponder over this verse: "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." ~James 2:19
Are we so thick that we don't realize how powerful and fear-worthy the God of the universe (who we serve) is? Just something I've been pondering over.... thoughts?