“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10
When a massive hurricane is threatening off the coast or a tornado warning has been issued, people become frightened. (In the case of Haiti, the poor people of that country had no warning. Earthquakes are like that.) Such fear causes them to take action to safeguard their belongings and their very lives. Those who scurry about taking every precaution because of their fear of such storms are indeed wise. Those who snub their noses at the warnings, demonstrating little or no concern for the devastation that could be unleashed upon them, are foolish and unwise
Fear, in this sense, is a good thing. Fear is also a good thing when it leads to God. When we stand before a holy, righteous, eternal, powerful, all-knowing God, we have good reason to tremble and shake in our boots; for there is nothing in the entire cosmos more powerful than the One, who by a single word, could either bring into being something out of nothing or wipe everything from the face of the Earth.
Have we soft-pedaled this aspect of our relationship with God? So concerned are we to paint a picture of God that is gentle, tender, and friendly that one could make the case we have become almost too comfortable in the presence of the Almighty. Then, even the cross of Jesus might cease to stir our hearts.
O God, help us to fear and love you above all else.
— Father Erv
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