Life Of IntegritySample

"Abraham's Fear of the Lord"

I have always been confused by the phrase “fear of the Lord.” There are so many different fears that people have. There is the fear of spiders, fear of the dark, fear of failure, and fear of death. I’m sure that there is even a fear of being afraid! So how in the world can the “fear of the Lord” be a good thing? Fearing God is more about awe and wonder than about terror. Abraham was someone who exemplified great love and devotion in the Bible, but it would take a moment of fearing God that would solidify his faith.

The Lord never asks us to do anything without preparing us to complete the assignment. For Abraham, his assignment was to go up on a mountain and offer his son Isaac as a living sacrifice. Because of Abraham’s mature and intimate relationship with God, he trusted Him and went to fulfill the request. Abraham’s fear was able to look past his own doubt and acknowledge God’s good intentions. When the Lord saw how Abraham feared Him, He knew that love and faithfulness would always prevail in their relationship.

Fearing God is not simply obeying and respecting the Father. He sees our heart throughout the process of life and knows whether or not we are responding to Him out of affection or admission. Abraham boldly displays the way all of our love can be shown to God when we let nothing hold us back from worshipping Him.

What is in the way of you fearing God? What are some things that hold you back when He asks something of you? Do you acknowledge God’s good intentions towards you? Dive into these areas of your heart in order to pursue deeper intimacy with Him.