Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. —Psalm 34:9
“Fear of the Lord“ is one of the great themes of the Bible. The phrase is particularly hard to translate, especially in light of the repeated message of the Bible to “do not fear” (Matthew 10:26, 28, 31; Revelation 2:10) and John’s reminder that “perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18-19). Fearing God means more than “holding God in reverence.” Generally, “fear of the Lord” means that we remember our place in the order of things, especially with regard to who we are in God’s presence. We know we are deeply loved by our holy Father in heaven, whom we call Abba Father. We also recognize that we are weak and sinful in comparison to God, and that we are saved by God’s mercy and grace. We acknowledge that his majesty and holiness are far beyond us and that we pale in significance in holiness and importance before God. We come to God acknowledging our need for him and our unworthiness to demand anything from him. The reality is that when we approach God with this sense of awe and profound respect, he in turn welcomes us with open arms and brings us close (Isaiah 57:15).