The Daily Devocast brings you daily encouragement from God’s word. Today’s devotional message Why it’s Good to Fear the Lord is based on Psalm 112:1.
Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
(King James Version, Psalm 112:1)
For many of us when we read a verse that talks about fearing the Lord, it conjures up images of God as some sort of a mean tyrannical father and that simply isn’t consistent with what we know of God from other parts of scripture. God is a loving Father, who cares deeply for His children.
The root problem is that when we read the word fear in English, we tend to equate it with being scared. The Hebrew word translated as feareth in the KJV has a range of meaning that can also include honor, respect, and awe, which would all be appropriate in this context.
The second part of this verse talks about delighting in God’s commandments. And while at first glance it may seem odd to delight in commands or instructions, this is actually a natural and possibly more appropriately said supernatural part of the inner transformation process as we’re growing in fear of the Lord and holiness. Things that may have felt burdensome and challenging at first become a delight because we’re no longer striving, but operating out of the great redeeming work God has worked inside of us.
Prayer: Father, we thank you that it isn’t a bad thing to fear you, in fact it’s a good thing. We ask that you’d help each of us to consistently carve out time with you each day, time to get more of your word into us and time to listen and hear how You’re speaking to us.We ask that you’d heighten our spiritual senses and discernment so we can very clearly understand the direction You’re giving us. Amen.
Action Step: Take a look at your schedule for the next week and figure out how you can add 5-10 additional minutes with God to each day. Block that time off on your calendar. You have the freedom to choose how to fill that time (Bible reading, prayer, getting quiet and listening to the Holy Spirit, etc.). At the end of the 7 days note any significant insights or changes in your relationship with God in your journal.
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