How often I have sat in awe in the flight deck, beholding the night sky and realizing how small I am in the grand scheme of eternity. It creates in me this wonder and points to the Creator. He is great and greatly to be praised.
When we operate an aircraft, we should be filled with a sense of awe. Awe for nature, the principles of physics, and mechanical limitations we operate by. Awe of the weather and its magnitude and strength. Whether we work as flight crew, airport or airline staff, engineers, or maintenance, we have operating procedures, company policies, and security procedures we adhere to.
Our Christian walk is no different. Just as we respect the very real threats and operate within parameters designed for safety, we respect the LORD and obey His Voice and commands. And we know that He is good and these directions are for our benefit.
Remembering That Our God Is Holy
Just as we sit stunned pondering the vastness of creation, we should be filled with awe at our Holy God. It is crucial that we remember this aspect of the Lord: He is holy. From this understanding, we see His Spirit work. Psalms 34 and 103 are passages filled with both instruction and promises of God. I encourage you to try an exercise. Read through each of these Psalms and look for the benefits of fearing God and also His promises to us. List them out, underline, pray into them, declare them over yourself and your family. He is a good and loving Father.
Holy fear is the key to intimacy with God! We grow closer to Him through fellowship, accountability, worship, and obedience, but also and most importantly through holy fear of Him. When we are in awe and reverence of God, it fosters the environment where we can grow in intimacy. As we do this, He reveals more of Himself and His plans. He calls us friends. Abraham and Moses were both filled with faith and holy fear, and God called them friends of God. They talked with the Almighty directly and enjoyed a deep relationship with the Most High. He wants this with each of us. What a goal to be called God’s friend.
Beware Of Pride
Something else God has taught me in relation to fearing Him is to beware of pride. Pride and religiosity go hand in hand. What was the original sin? What made Lucifer fall? It was pride. We are never completely immune to it. It is often hidden and always trying to knock us down. I need to die to self for fresh vision of Jesus. John 15 tells us to “abide in Him” (which was the very topic of this year’s FCAP Conference). It is both a warning and call to be close to Jesus. We rely solely on Him, being fed and watered by Christ. The antidote to pride is holy fear of God and humility. We must keep our focus on JESUS. We must also beware that success may follow despite godly virtues no longer being there. Like the examples of Kings Uzziah and Solomon, success can be a breeding ground for the enemy. It may start as a slow drift, but at some point we don’t even hear God’s voice anymore. None of us are immune.
Be Still And Surrender
The fear of the LORD is also protection against self sufficiency and burn out. Let’s wait for the LORD and consult Him, in all our decisions, with our groups, families, at work. What does GOD want? To hear from God, we must quiet ourselves…in humility, awe and worship. We need to be still and surrender. Let God take control, and rest in HIS grace. He has done it all. It’s not about us, which counters perfectionism and pride. This takes the burden off. We can have good hearts and intentions, but do not place it all on our shoulders. God wants our sincere hearts, obedience, and surrender.
Our Identity As God’s Children
To recap and close, the fear of the LORD unlocks our identity as His children, and His great and precious promises, like His love and compassion, provision, and healing. It keeps us from self sufficiency and pride, it keeps us humble and at the foot of the cross. Holy fear draws us into intimacy with Him. It gives us boldness to share the Gospel in truth and love. It is a key component of revival. And among many, many other things, it provides us an eternal focus and expectation of His return. ◼
