Terrified

After reading Mark 4:35-41 tonight, something new stuck out to me as I read this passage.

"They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'" (41)

They were terrified, after being in a storm in which they could have lost their lives, they choose to be terrified after Jesus calms the waves...

I have struggled with this idea of a healthy fear of the Lord. There are roughly 135 references in the bible to a "fear of the Lord", and thats quite a few if you ask me.

When I was young I remember taking out my bible and every now and again coming across a passage that talked about fearing the Lord. I couldn't help but wondering "why on earth would I want to fear God?" It seemed like such a silly concept to me, especially because all I really remember having been taught up to that point was that God was good, and that He is Love, and that He always has a plan for my life.

Those things are all well and good, and all of those things are completely true, God is good, He is Love, and He does always have a plan, but I think there is something to this "fearing God" thing.

Acts 9:31
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.



Isaiah 33:6
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.


Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.


Proverbs 19:23
The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.


Psalm 115:11
You who fear him, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.

I can't help but read those passages and wonder, "God why do you want me to fear you, don't you just want me to love you?" 

God does have a deep deep love for us, but at the same time, I think there is a healthy fear that comes with being a Christian. 

The disciples were in the boat, "the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped"(37) They were scared they were going to die as this huge storm is raging around them. Then such a crazy thing happens, they wake up Jesus, God in human form on this boat with them, and all he does is simply stand up and say "Quiet! Be Still!" (39) Thats it, thats all he says! Everything around them immediately calms, and the disciples are left wondering how that is even possible. 

God of the universe is sitting on a boat the the disciples and they know that this is God, but yet they are still are in awe of how even the wind and the waves obey him. They were terrified! They feared the Lord!

They were terrified because nature itself would listen and obey him. They were terrified because they had never seen anyone else do the same thing. There is no way they could walk away from this situation without acknowledging that God is POWERFUL, that God is MIGHTY, and that God is to be FEARED. 

If everything in creation bows before Jesus, then don't we have every reason to be fearful? 

This isn't a fear like a fear of getting kidnapped in the middle of the night by gunpoint...this isn't fear like I fear getting into a really bad car crash and loosing my legs...no this is fear because I can see that God is powerful, that He alone has all the power in himself, and that nothing I do can move things like God can. 

I can be fearful of the Lord because I know how strong and mighty He really is. 

Fearing the Lord doesn't mean that I am constantly worried about him smiting me for saying a foul word,  but fearing the Lord looks a lot more like a heart acknowledgement that God is stronger than I am, that He is stronger than all nature, and that although He could  strike me down with lightening for saying a foul word, He likely won't. 

I think God wants us to fear him because He wants our humility and for us to admit that we can't fix the storms in our lives without Him, and that only He is capable of calming the storms, of controlling nature, and of seeing everything with perfect clarity. When I fear the Lord, I am acknowledging Gods strength and power. 

Jeremiah 5:22
Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.

I want to come to God with fear and trembling, because in that, I am displaying awe and respect for the God who can do anything.