It’s Good to Fear God!

by Amy Smith

Growing up attending Christian schools, the happiest day of my life was when my dad said we didn’t have to go to church anymore. I was in middle school and HATED listening to my parents argue every Sunday. From the house all the way to church, they argued. My mom was never ready on time and my dad despised being late. 

The yelling, the cursing, the arguing. They’d pause long enough for us to attend church but then picked right back up where they left off. Sometimes it lasted all day. 

I learned to fear God. I blamed God for causing my family pain. I also didn’t care for the rules that came with following Him that I was told about at school and church. No shorts. No movies. No school dances. No fun. No thank you! 

I thought He was waiting to punish me for anything I did wrong. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

Fear of the Lord Verses: What Does the Bible Say?

When you look up “fear of the Lord” in Scripture, it’s mentioned over 300 times. Fear, as you know it, means to feel negative feelings of terror, fright, and doom.

Does the Lord want you to be afraid of Him? Well, yes and no. Consider the Israelites in the Old Testament. While escaping from Egypt, in Deuteronomy 10:12, Moses tells the tired, hopeless Israelites to “fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul (NIV).”

But why? What’s the point of pursuing the Lord as Moses insists? It’s about wisdom. The book of Proverbs is about how God shares wisdom with those who fear him.

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

You can’t buy God-given wisdom. Wisdom is not the same as knowledge. All the education and degrees in the world can’t give you what God gives to those who revere Him. 

In Scripture, you see promises of guidance and protection for God-fearing people.

• Psalm 25:12 – “Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose (NIV).”
  • He wants to teach you how to stay married, raise your children, build wealth. But His ways are different. 

• Proverbs 14:26 – “Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children, it will be a refuge (NIV).”
  • Under God’s protection, you need not fear the world. If you turn to Him for everything in your life, He’ll guide your steps.

It gets confusing when on one hand you’re told to fear God, but then God says you weren’t made to be fearful and shouldn’t fear.

• 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (KJV).”

• Isaiah 41:13 – “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you (NIV).'”

Is God contradicting himself? What exactly does He mean when He speaks of fearing Him?

Fear of God Meaning: It’s Not What You Think!

Instead of thinking of fear as scary, it’s more about grasping who God is. To understand how mighty and powerful He is, but also to see that God is love.

Fearing the Lord means understanding that He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is all-powerful. He is everywhere and knows all.

Nothing happens to you without God allowing it to happen. So, while that may sound scary, when you get to know Him better, you’re not afraid of Him. You see His power AND His goodness, His over-the-top loving nature. You believe He wants what’s best for you–ALWAYS–so you trust Him.

{Related – 9 Bible Verses About God’s Love – He Really Does Love You!}

The biblical definition of fearing God is about having respect for Him. God wants your honor, worship, and reverence. He wants you to be humble in approaching Him – not terrified. There's a difference. Share on X

The more encounters you have with Him, you trust him more. You become aware that His ways are better–even when His timing and ways don’t make sense at the time.

To fear God means…

• to surrender to His plans for your life–not the other way around. And although giving up control sounds frightening, it’s freeing. 
• you want to please Him because you know his ways are better. 
• you care if you’re living according to His purpose for you. You believe what Jeremiah 29:11 says – that He has plans for you and that He’s good.
• you know you can’t avoid evil. Yes, the struggle is real, and fearing the Lord doesn’t mean you’re protected from trouble. What it does mean is that you no longer have to fear the world or anything that happens to you. 

With God, you know that He’ll equip you with what you need to either overcome or handle trouble. 

How to Fear God

Now you know God is not trying to catch you doing wrong. He’s not waiting to throw lightning bolts at your back. You might wonder what God-fearing Christians should do. 

To fear him is not only in how you feel about Him but in how you act.

“Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”

1 Peter 2:16-18 (NIV)

Study Scripture: Get to know what He expects by reading your Bible. Use it as a manual for every situation in your life. As Christians, there is freedom in living under the Lord’s protection, but it’s not a free pass to keep sinning. 

Hate what He hates and love what He loves. Proverbs 8:13 says, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil (NIV).” Being a holy God, He knows the impact of sin on not only your life–but the lives of your children and their children. Meaning, He wants what’s good for you. 

He’s a forgiving God, but He will allow you to suffer the consequences of your choices. As any good parent would do. Why? When you persevere through struggle, you’re building character. And not any character–but godly character. And that’s the point–to become more like Him.

Build Relationship: Spend time getting to know Him through prayer. Talk to him–about everything! Build intimacy with the Lord by sharing your thoughts and feelings. Ask for His thoughts and expect Him to answer. But then get quiet so He can. 

Journaling is a great way to connect with God. When a thought pops into your head that you know you hadn’t thought of–that’s Him!

Would you share your secrets with someone you barely knew? Neither would He. The more time you spend throughout the day talking to Him, it becomes natural. You start to tune into the voice of God and even expect it.

Ask for Encounters with God: To experience God builds faith. When you see what He does in your life, your love for Him grows. Receiving God’s favor and blessings builds unshakeable faith. It’s that kind of faith that fuels your fear and awe for Him.

And then, your greatest fear will be living life without Him. 

Those who know will tell you that even when God doesn’t answer prayer, it’s because it wasn’t what was best for you. His ways are higher, and He’s known for giving you more than what you asked for. Not like a magic genie or wishing well, but like a loving father. 

Why It’s Good to Fear the Lord 

Yes, it’s good to fear Him! Fearing God means you love and respect Him so greatly that living without Him scares you more. Doing life on your own terms without God’s guidance leads to pain. 

What happens to Christians who lack fear of the Lord? Sin. Painful sin creeps into their lives. Christians cause destruction in the church, their homes, and workplaces. When you lack fear of His power, you think you can get away with following your desires–you know best, right? Nope, it doesn’t work that way. 

You see pastors stealing from the church and Christians having affairs. Living like the rest of the world–it’s a lack of reverential fear of the Lord.

He wants you to live a prosperous life and the same for your children and their children. No other gods come before Him. No other gods will come after Him.

To partner with God is a privilege. He doesn’t need you. He chooses you–if you’re willing to choose Him. He’s given you a unique purpose that’s only for you. You already have the spiritual gifts inside of you to walk the path He set for you.

I think about my lost, middle-school self sometimes, and wish I could give her a hug. Knowing God the way I do know, I know He was heartbroken. Luckily, He stayed by my side, walking me through fires until I was desperate for Him.

The depths of his love and grace–we’ll never understand. How he loves us when we don’t deserve it and never gives up is unbelievable on a human level.

Looking for help? Ask Him. Need healing? Reach out to Him. Feeling unloved or not worthy? Oh beloved, He’ll prove you wrong.

So, friend, do you have a better understanding of what it means to fear the Lord? Comment below and let us know!

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