FEARING GOD: THE PATH TO ENDURING FAITH
Jeremiah 32:40 (NIV 1984) ... I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
The word “fear” has such a negative connotation to us, especially when we apply the word to the God of “unconditional love”. How do you make sense of the command to fear a God who loves us so deeply and endearingly? We are told in scripture that the fear of the Lord is the pathway to a more knowledgeable relationship with Him, the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10). It is to be our delight (Neh 1:11). It opens the door to a bolder evangelism (2 Cor 5:11); and in our passage, it empowers us to endure in our faith. God actually takes it on Himself to inspire His people to fear Him, and this fear will be the agent that holds our faith intact when all hell breaks loose around us. John tells us, “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.” (1 Jn 2:24) Here, Jeremiah tells us that God “will inspire them to fear me.” This is how sustaining faith works. It is not a work of the flesh, by where we hang on with all of our might, hoping somehow we will make it to the end. It is God working in us, putting in us what we need in order to endure. Fearing His name is a key component.
To fear is not merely to respect, though respect is certainly a part of fear. To fear is to be afraid. Jesus Himself tells us to not be afraid of those who can kill the body, “rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28) This is not merely respect, but sheer terror. We use the word “respect” to “dumb” down the meaning and make it palatable to modern religious folks, but we can’t do that. Respect will lead us to pay homage, to give occasional offerings, to have a Bible on a coffee table, and maybe to occasionally attend church services. On the other hand, fear will lead us to lay our lives down in surrender, give extravagantly, devour the Word of God, and to worship Him wholeheartedly with other believers. There is a difference, a big difference. Fear takes the concept of respect and injects it with greater motivation. Fearing God is not like fearing evil. The fear of evil causes us to dread, run away, hide, and freeze up in a paralyzing sense of horror, because evil is on the prowl to destroy us and make us suffer in the process (1 Pet 5:8). Fearing God does the opposite. It causes us to have hope, run toward Him, embrace Him, and begin living confidently and boldly, because, unlike the evil that is stealing, killing, and destroying (Jn 10:10), God is redeeming, purifying, and making us His own, a people eager to do good (Titus 2:14). The Love of God is so powerful and enduring that it re-purposes fear into something good, productive, and life-saving. Oh loving Savior, inspire us to fear your Name that we may never turn away from you.
