“Father, I thank you that you are in my life. I do not deserve you, but you still show up. I can never thank you enough for the sacrifice of your Son, and what He had to go through. Make me more like Him.”
Why is it so IMPORTANT to fear the Lord? We all (if you’ve been a Christian for a while) know Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” But I want to go deeper than that. We as Christians sometimes overlook the statement “fear the Lord” and we only really want to see Him as the lovable Father that…“had anger issues in the old covenant, but now that we are set free from the chains of sin through Jesus, means we don't really see that side of our lovable Father anymore.” And while you are correct in saying, “God’s grace over us has redeemed and set us free through Christ, and we are no longer bound to sin and death!” I want you to truly try and read the Gospel again from the time Christ enters the garden, to Him rising from the dead, and if you really took time to study it you would realize that there is a lot more to God than what we’ve made Him out to be.
Have you ever wondered why Christ weeped in the garden? (Luke 22:39-42). Or why He told those crying women who were following Him when He was carrying the cross “Do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!” (Luke 23:27-29). Or here’s a big one, have you ever wondered why Jesus, on the Cross, looked up and said to His loving Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). It’s because He was sent to take the wrath of God that we deserve, and put it on Himself, He truly knew what it meant to fear God's wrath. No wonder he sweated blood from anxiety in the garden. No wonder He said to the women crying after Him, “Blessed are the CHILDLESS women, the wombs that NEVER BORE and the breasts that never nursed.” No wonder He looked up at the Father who is full of grace and mercy, and said “Oh God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had to go through it, and we still choose not to fear God!
Why is it so important for us to fear the Lord, and His Word? Because every time I have the desire to sin, I want to be reminded of Christ on the cross while His father turned His face against Him, as he put MY DESERVED WRATH ON HIS PERFECT SON. The persecution and pain we showed Jesus was nothing compared to His fathers wrath against Him.
“Father, forgive me for my sin and pride. Help me despise sin, and choose not to turn my face against you ever again.”