Daily Encouragement: Day 212

From Handbook to Wisdom, Day 212

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
I will ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
I will ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name
and worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
(Psalm 96:4–8)

Who is the man that fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
(Psalm 25:12)

We would be wise to cultivate a holy fear, awe, and wonder before the magnificence, might, glory, and greatness of the Creator and Ruler of heaven and earth.

Like John, when we see the glorified Christ, what we now dimly perceive about His powers and perfections will become much clearer. Perhaps we will react as did two of the animals in The Wind in the Willows when they saw “the Piper at the Gate of Dawn”:

“Rat!” he found breath to whisper, shaking. “Are you afraid?”

“Afraid?” murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love. “Afraid! Of Him? O, never, never! And yet—and yet—O Mole, I am afraid!”

Then the two animals, crouching to the earth, bowed their heads and did worship.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
(Proverbs 9:10)