Psalm 111 - Day 111

¹ Praise the LORD.^[b]

I will extol the LORD with all my heart
   in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

² Great are the works of the LORD;
   they are pondered by all who delight in them.
³ Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
   and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
   the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him;
   he remembers his covenant forever.

⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works,
   giving them the lands of other nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just;
   all his precepts are trustworthy.
⁸ They are established for ever and ever,
   enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹ He provided redemption for his people;
   he ordained his covenant forever—
   holy and awesome is his name.

¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
   all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
   To him belongs eternal praise.

I need to fear the Lord more. I've always had a hard time with the concept. What does it mean to "Fear the Lord". I've tried to have people explain it to me, but never grasped the concept. I think this article helps sum it up pretty well. Here are some main point on what is means.

1. The Fear of the Lord is rooted in our relationship to God as his adopted Children. As we have already discussed, the Fear of the Lord is not servile fear (having to do with punishment) it is filial fear (the dread of offending or being separated from God).
2. The Fear of the Lord is rooted in our love for God. We really love God, with all our heart! He is Abba, Papa, Father. He has given us everything and we deeply love and reverence him. The thought of offending him fills us with dread! We cannot bear the thought that we have offended God in any way, we love him too much.
3. The Fear of the Lord is rooted in our admiration for God. Through this gift of Holy Fear we hold God in awe. We are filled with wonder as we contemplate his glory and all he has done. This wonder and awe, inspire deep respect in us for God and an aversion to offending him. We respect him too much to ever want to mar our relationship with him.
4. The Fear of God is rooted in our desire for unity with God. Love seeks union. We instinctively know that sin mars the union of love and can even sever it. We thus come to fear sin that creates distance between us and God. Because we desire union with God, the gift of Holy Fear causes us to fear ever losing the intensity of that union.
5. The Fear of God is rooted in our appreciation for God’s Holiness. God is Holy and the gift of Holy Fear strikes within us a deep awareness of this holiness as well as a deep understanding that we must be made holy before coming into his full presence. The gift of fear helps us to appreciate that we do not simply walk into God’s  presence in the spiritual equivalent of jeans and a T-Shirt. Holy Fear inspires us to be clothed in holy attire, to get ready to meet God. Just as we might bath and wear fine clothes to visit a world leader, we reverence God enough to be robed in righteousness by his grace before we go to meet him. Holy Fear makes us serious about this preparation

So basically is has nothing to do with a negative feeling us humans have put on the word "fear" but more of a relational fear of losing connection with the Lord.

For some reason verse 10 hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately wrote is down so I could be reminded of it. What powerful words!