Fear the Lord

I have been given the privilege in the past few weeks to mentor some of my friends who are younger in the faith.  As I've been studying some things to share, I have run across good information I thought I'd share.

Psalm 34:11 says, "Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord."

What?  We are supposed to fear God?  What does this mean?

I stumbled upon the following website today:
http://www.sermonnotebook.org/old%20testament/Pro%201_7.htm.  It explains this idea well.  It is not meant to be a fear that causes the sense of panic and anxiety.

"When we truly fear the Lord, we will recognize that He is the Creator and we are the creatures. He is the Master and we are the servants. He is the Father and we are the children. This attitude will manifest itself in our having a respect for God, His word and in our having a desire to do what He tells us to in His Bible...To put it simply, the fear of the Lord is a deep seated reverence for God that causes men to want to please Him at all costs."

Oswald Chambers said, "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else."

It seems to me that those who don't fear the Lord have the most to be afraid of.  Those who revere God and stand in awe of him have nothing to be afraid of.

Proverbs 8:13 states it simply - To fear the Lord is to hate evil.

I Samuel 12:24 "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you."

I'm not sure I've ever read the next verse.  It is an amazing promise.

Psalm 25:14 "The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them."

Psalm 33:18 "But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love."

The Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  Those who fear Him will be blessed.

The psalmist tells us to put our hope in His unfailing love.  He has done great things.  He continues to do great things.  I've seen Him working firsthand.  He cares about the big and the little things in our lives.

Proverbs 1:7 tells us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..."  Once we acknowledge our need for a Savior and submit our lives to Him, he opens our eyes.  He helps us to understand so much about the world that was not evident to us when we were blind.

"I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see."