Healthy Fear

"Moses said to the people,

'Do not be afraid.

God has come to test you,

so that the fear of God will be with you

to keep you from sinning.'"

Exodus 20:20

Smoke rose from the mountain, obscuring it from their sight.  Light flashed from within the cloud, sending peels of thunder that threatened to burst the eardrums of those gathered at the foot of the hill.  Then, as if to make sure everyone was listening, the sound of a trumpet blast destroyed any sense of peace and security anyone had left.  The people of Israel were left shaking in their skin.

"Forget this!  We would rather have you speak to us, Moses.  We'll listen, we promise.  Just don't have God speak to us directly again or we will die!"  (paraphrased from Exodus 20:18-19)

The Israelites came face-to-face with the holiness and sheer power of God and realized it was too much for them.  They no longer thought of God only as their benevolent Deliverer, but also realized His righteousness, sense of justice and might.  Suddenly, they didn't want to have any personal contact out of shear fear.

It is good for me to have a sense of awe and respect for God, but not to the point where I want Him to remain at a distance; there must be a good balance.  Therefore, here are some things God wants me to understand about cultivating a healthy fear of Him.

Not Afraid

The judge had the power to condemn her to prison or set her free.  Therefore, in her guilt, she searched for a defense attorney who could plead her case and serve as an advocate before such a man of power.

In the same way, I am guilty of breaking God's perfect law and therefore am condemned to death. (1 John 1:10, Romans 6:23)  Because of my position as a sinner, I cannot come into the presence of such a holy God.  I need a mediator who will plead my case before the righteous Judge.  I need Jesus Christ.

Jesus serves as my high priest.  He stands between me and God with the blood of His perfect sacrifice covering my awful sin.  Since I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, I need not be afraid of God.  Instead, I can boldly approach His throne of grace with the confidence that comes from knowing I have been made right with Him. (Hebrews 4:14-16) I need not fear.

God does not want me to be so afraid of Him that I will not come to Him with my deepest struggles or trust Him with my heaviest burdens.  Instead, He has made a way through His Son Jesus Christ to transform me from a guilty sinner into a beloved child. (1 John 3:1) As His daughter, then, I can come to Him at any time, knowing that He will shower me with love and blessings like any loving father does.

Therefore, I need not fear His wrath will devour me when I fail yet again, disappointing my own expectations.  Instead, I can have the assurance that there is nothing that can separate me from His great love.  (Romans 8:38-39)

God does not want me to be afraid of Him but to come to Him with all my fears and to trust Him to take care of all my needs.

Reverence

The little girl loved her daddy.  They often played together on the living room floor; she would climb on his back and he would make the trek around the house like a horse.  One day as the preschooler climbed onto her father's back, she demanded, "Go!  I'm the boss of you!"  She punctuated her command with a swift kick to the gut.

Firmly, the man removed his daughter from his back, looked her in the eyes and said, "You must never forget I am your father."  He wanted her to know that she had crossed the line of respect, treating him as she would a pet or playmate.

It is the same with me and God.  While He wants me to feel comfortable enough to approach Him freely, I must never forget His holiness, awesomeness and sovereign power.  I am not to take Him lightly.

When I am tempted to speak of Him as, "The man upstairs," then, I would be wise to think of a more respectful term. (Proverbs 9:10) When I am looking for someone to blame for my wretched circumstances, I would be wise to not cast blame on the One who holds my life in His hands. (Job 38-40)  When I turn my critical eye toward myself, picking apart my looks or personality, I would be wise to not question the way God knit me together.  (Isaiah 29:16)

While I need not be afraid of God, I do need to develop a reverence toward the Holy One of Israel.

Offense

Curse words didn't bother me.  Vile jokes failed to offend.  Sex outside of marriage was not a big deal.  These were my mindsets before I developed a healthy fear of God.  Not comprehending His sacred nature, sin had virtually no affect on me.  

Once I began to take God seriously, however, and reverence Him as holy, I no longer felt comfortable with sin.  Instead of cozying up to it, I became more sensitive to it's destruction.  While I used to wear my sin nature like a comfortable sweater, my understanding of the holiness of God makes it feel more like what Paul called a body of death.  (Romans 7:21-25)

The closer I draw to the Lord, the more His Spirit makes me realize what a serious offense my sin is to God.  Therefore, I don't want to treat sin like an intimate friend but rather like my worst enemy.  (1 John 3:4-10)

Developing a reverent attitude toward God awakens in me a realization of how offensive my sin is to Him.

While God doesn't want me to be afraid of Him, He does desire me to possess a deep reverence for Him as a holy God.  As this attitude of awe grows, the offensiveness of my own sin will also become apparent.  It is then that I have developed a healthy fear of the Lord.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will reserve a reverence for the Lord.

When do I feel afraid of God?

How do I treat the Lord as if He were here for me instead of the other way around?