When Fear is a Good Thing

The Biblical authors couldn’t envision reverence without a grain of apprehension.

That’s why they often described a deep adoration of the Lord God of Israel using the word “fear.” King David even provided the paradigm of true reverence—along with the positive outcome:

“Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. His life shall dwell in goodness, and his descendants shall inherit the land. The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He shall make them know His covenant.” [Psa. 25:12-14] [my emphasis]

The secret? Really?

[Heb: סוֹד (sod) council, counsel, secret, intimacy, fellowship]

Imagine sharing spiritual intimacy with Him in the form of “secret” counsel while, at the same time, experiencing prosperity in every valid dimension of life in this age—only then to eventually inherit a portion of His real property in the age to come!

That’s what His covenant is all about!

But it seems my capacity to even understand what that actually is would be contingent upon my willingness to “fear” Him. That’s not to say my faith should be driven by fear—only that it manifests itself more fully when tempered with a healthy dose of deference and awe.

Fear can paralyze or it can incite.

The man who learns to recognize its methods will become its master rather than its subject.