Day 35: Psalm 111

The Psalms (and the Proverbs) have this strange declaration that we should fear the Lord.

Notice the Psalm:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10

What does that mean? For many of us, if we are honest, we operate out of fear when it comes to God. We are afraid of being rejected, afraid of being dirty, and afraid God is cold and distant. Many times, we are afraid that the bad things that happen to us are a cosmic payback. I don’t think that is the idea behind this Psalm. This is the kind of fear that children have for someone they awe and respect. Right now, our youngest son Ezra is the same height as my grill outside. He always wants to run up and touch it. I want him to be afraid of it, but in the sense he respects it. You could say that right now in our house, fear of the grill is the beginning of wisdom. At the same time, I don’t want him to be afraid of the grill for the rest of his life. Eventually, as my other kids do, I want him to love it. Eventually, I want him to see that it’s something that exists for his benefit not his harm.

The same is true with God. When we come to God, we should have an awe and respect like a small child, but we should eventually move into a place of love, not anxiety of consequence. God, at His core, is love. Today as you worship, as you try to come to God and feel some sense of Sunday normalcy, may you worship Him not from fear, but from awe, respect and love.

May we be like small children, staring at a grill, knowing the possibilities are endless.

Jared