Scripture – “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”
Proverbs 19:23 NIV
Observation – Having a full understanding that a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord and that he examines all his paths causes a person to think about how his choices and subsequent actions will affect God and others. This intentional thought process helps him make wise decisions, then he can rest content that he did the right thing and won’t have to deal with the consequences of a selfish, foolish and poor decision.
Application – The most common response to what “Fear of the Lord” means is reverence and awe. When people say this I believe they are trying to reconcile how or why we should fear a loving, compassionate gracious God. I believe it means we should literally fear God because of who we are not because of who he is. People can rationalize almost every sin they commit. If they heard someone else committed the same sin they committed they would judge that person but, because they are so intimately involved in their own situation they can come up with reasons, that they believe are legitimate, to convince themselves how they acted is justified. The fear of the Lord, his discipline in our lives and the power of the Holy Spirit penetrates our hearts and helps us to envision how our actions might impact those around us and God. Even if we are in a poor state of mind where we are only thinking of ourselves in that selfish emotional moment the Fear of the Lord will cause us to do the right thing, knowing that if we choose the wrong path God discipline will be there quickly to correct us. Then we make the right choice and rest content untouched by the trouble we would have experienced had the fear of the Lord not been there to influence us.
What are you doing? Do it better 