F.O.G.

I know it’s not a particularly popular topic today. But the concept of the fear of God is something rarely talked about at church or in Christian circles. Why is that? Maybe it is because it’s not the most inviting topic for new believers, or even believers in general. It could be due to the fact that most of our contemporary worship songs and Christian books rarely say anything about it. I’m not really sure. What I do know is that the Bible talks about the fear of God in some way around 300 times. And I know that just because something is talked about a lot in the Bible it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is more important than something that is only talked about a handful of times. But, you still have to take notice of the fact that it is obviously in the Bible that many times for a reason. And I actually want to argue here that we stay away from this topic because we don’t really have a good grasp on what the term “fear of God” really means.

When we see the word “fear” it can understandably bring up some negative feelings. But, when we take a deep dive into the intended use of the word here it may provide a new perspective. The term “fear” when it is used in this context is related mostly with reverence and piety. When you are at the edge of the coast and looking out onto the ocean slamming against the rocks and spraying water at you, you are in fear, or reverence, of the ocean. Its beauty, its strength, its unpredictability. You have a deep respect for the ocean because you know it is so much more powerful than you.

We have to remember that this is the God of the universe. He created the complexities we see within our world and the expanse of the space beyond. This is the God that designed lions, tigers and bears. His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than ours, as God clearly communicates to us through the prophet Isaiah: 

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

If you have a healthy relationship with your own dad, you might remember playing catch with your dad, wrestling with him and having him let you sit on his lap and drive the car when you were probably too young. But, you also remember when you pushed your mom to the limit and she said those harrowing words: “just wait till your father gets home.” Not in a frightening way, not in a malicious way either. But you have this deep respect for your dad that keeps you in check (especially when he is a good and present dad). Just as God tells us that His thoughts and His ways are higher than ours, He’s not doing this in a narcissistic way but to remind us that we have a Father in Heaven that loves us, cares for us but is greater than us. It is a reminder that we are not gods, as much as we may want to be at times. It's this humility that brings us back down to earth and reminds us that we are not even nearly on the level of the God of the universe. 

Yet, as He corrects you to make you better and to build you up, he also will never test you with more than you can handle: 

1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

I think it is very important that we develop a better understanding of this particular doctrine. The fear of God is something that can change your paradigm as a believer, for the better. That might sound like a weird thing to say, but it is true. The God of the universe is almighty, all-powerful and all-knowing. His power is immeasurable and unfathomable. Therefore, when we give up the act of trying to be all-powerful ourselves, we must then submit to God and hand over to Him all of us. All of our triumphs, but also all of our defeats. Our shame, our guilt, our sin, all of our baggage. When we do this, we can then have the eternal peace that Jesus freely gives to us.

I’ll end with a quote from C.S. Lewis. In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Susan is asking Mr. Beaver about Aslan and this is what he has to say:

“Aslan is a lion–the Lion, the great Lion." 

"Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"...

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”