The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Psalm 25:10,14,
“All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant… The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”
I note in this psalm that David says “all”, not “some” of the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful. David points to those for which the ways of the Lord are characterized this way, “those who keep the demands of his covenant.” How is one to know these demands? He says a few verses later that the Lord confides these things to those who fear him.
The fear of the Lord is a fascinating thing to me. There are those who hold the Lord in a reverence, awe and a fearsome respect and those who appear quite ambivalent toward him, both those who claim to know him and, of course, those who reject acknowledging him in their lives. Many a time I have heard televised “preachers” say things that leave me wondering, “Does this guy have any idea that one day he is going to have to stand in front of the Lord and give an account of the things he is saying here?” Of course I have to look no further than sin in my own life to question my own fear of the Lord at times. And yet I find passages that point to, as a believer, fearing the Lord is incumbent upon me, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” Hebrews 12:28-29.
David points to the special insight the Lord provides to those who fear him. He makes known to them his covenant. Here I understand this as an “experiential” knowing or an awakening in our lives that has the effect of transforming our lives. When one does not fear the Lord he is not going to take to heart the things of the Lord. On one occasion the crowd asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” His response was, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28-29. Here is the demand of his covenant, to believe in Jesus Christ, to embrace him in faith. While I am quite sure we “grow” in our reverence, awe, respect and fear of the Lord as believers, initially the gospel message illuminates our hearts as the Lord confides its message to the one whose heart receives it beholding God in the fear and reverence an honest look at the Lord provides.
For all of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, to know that “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful” is such a wonderful acknowledgment of the grace of the Lord in our lives. He is faithful to us in fulfilling all of his promises and does so in his special divine loving way! What a God to fear this is!!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!
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