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Fear and Trembling: The Lost Art of Fearing God

In my last post, I wrote about the importance of looking for those who fear God as we consider who should be in positions of leadership and influence.

However, it doesn’t just stop with them; it also applies to me and to you!  God looks for those who fear Him and there are benefits and blessings when we fear God.  And we all greatly benefit when people in positions of leadership and influence fear God.

But what does it mean to fear God?

It means having a deep respect and awe for God’s power and authority.  It is to give him complete reverence and to honor him as the God of great glory, majesty, purity and power. 

Yet it could probably be argued that fearing God is a lost art.   The common meaning of that phrase “a lost art” is “something that people do that has been forgotten or is not done very often anymore.”  Yep, that probably applies to fearing God!

Also, when I think of the word fear, the word that goes with it in my mind is trembling as in “fear and trembling”…

To tremble is to shake involuntarily (as with fear or cold) or to be affected with great fear or anxiety.

The Bible does have a lot to say about trembling.  For example:

“Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.”  (Ps 2:11)

“My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.”  (Ps 119:120)

‘”For My hand made all these things, so all these things came into being,’” declares the Lord. ““But I will look to this one, at one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word.’”  (Isa 66:2)

“Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.” (Ez 9:4)

We should be wise to follow the example of those who fear God and tremble before Him.  And we should also tremble at His Word, after all the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

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