Tag Archives: Fear

When fear is healthy.

Posted in Lessons from the Bible by

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
– Proverbs 9:10

A young girl sitting in her room, alone in the house at night, hears footsteps and aggressive voices from the stairs. Her heart begins pounding and blood courses through her veins, thoughts running wild with fear in her head. A mother is washing dishes in the kitchen, smiling at the prattling of her young child who is playing in the other room. Suddenly the child screams and the mother’s heart stops. Several situations play themselves through in her head as she rushes, soap and water all over her hands, into the other room to calm her fear for her child’s safety. A professional athlete waits on a hospital bed, gritting his teeth from the pain coursing up his leg and into his skull. Minutes tick by, keeping time with his anxious heartbeat as he waits for the doctor’s verdict. His teammates try to assure him that it will be okay, but all he can think about is his greatest fear; that he will never play again.

Fear. It hits all of us in different ways, but no-one can say they have never felt the gut-wrenching, heart pumping, agonising feeling of being deeply and utterly afraid.

Fear can motivate us to do wonderful things. You only need to ask anyone who has had to run away from some sort of over-sized insect to see how fast fear can make the slowest person run. Fear can inspire people, move people, help people to change. The fear of cancer taking away a loved one can bring families back together. Fear can inspire a great artwork, help write a great novel. Fear of failure can create the greatest inventions the world has ever seen.

But what does it mean to ‘fear the Lord’? Are we to hide in a corner every time we go to pray? Should our hearts skip a beat every time we hear the word ‘God’, and should we tremble whenever someone talks about Jesus?

No! That’s just ridiculous. The Lord is not that sort of God. He does not want us to hide in fear, he does not want us to be scared. Jesus worked hard to tell us that our God is merciful, approachable (through him) and most of all, loving. If our God is all this, there is no way on earth we are supposed to be scared of him. So what on earth is ‘fear of the Lord’?

When we fear something, often it is simply a response to the fearful entity or object’s immense power or capabilities, and our comparative weakness and vulnerability. Fear is born from a realisation of another thing’s power, and what this is in relation to us – whether it could kill us or simply provide a minor annoyance.

‘Fear of the Lord’ is exactly this. It is a deep and informed understanding and realisation of just how huge, almighty and powerful God is, and exactly how small, weak and powerless we are in comparison. God has the power to speak the world into existence, but he also has the power to speak us out of it. God has the power to save us from Sin, through the gift of his Son Jesus, but he also has the power to condemn each and every one of us to a life of darkness. Take a moment to think about that… how afraid do you feel now?

But are you scared? Hopefully not, because God is at once all-powerful and all-merciful. He wants us to come to him in love and adoration, but also with the knowledge of exactly who he is, and who we are in comparison. This, then, is wisdom.

Wisdom comes from this ‘fear of the Lord’. Wisdom can be accumulated over time, through experiences and through interacting with other wise individuals… but ultimately, without the bigger picture of God’s almighty power and presence in our lives, we can never achieve complete wisdom and understanding.

How do we have a fear of the Lord? Firstly: understand him. Understand who God is, who his people are, and how he has showed us this throughout our history. For a ‘God is almighty’ realisation, try reading through the Old Testament. Think about the big picture – how great is the will of God! How great are his plans!

Secondly: think about those things in your life you are afraid of. Are you afraid of these more than you are of God? Are these other fears stopping you from surrendering to what God would have you do? Is the security of your current job and the fear of not having enough money stopping you from doing what you have always wanted – and what God wants you to do? Is the fear of being single and never having a child keeping you in relationships and with people you shouldn’t be with, and stopping you from getting on with the mission God has given you? Is the fear of failure stopping you from trying your marriage, your PhD, your defence forces entry exam or your fitness program again? Perhaps it is time you replaced a fear with a fear. Give up the fear that is hindering you and find a fear that will bring with it wisdom and life.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” – Proverbs 9:10

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