What is the Fear of the Lord?

The fear of the Lord is not being scared of God. It is a deep, holy reverence that recognizes who He is and how worthy He is of honor.

Psalm 111:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Proverbs 9:10 – “The knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

The fear of the Lord is:

Loving what He loves (Romans 12:9)
Respecting His ways (Psalm 103:17–18)
Valuing His presence (Psalm 27:4)
Choosing His wisdom over our own (Proverbs 3:5–7)
Recognizing His Word as life and truth (Psalm 19:7–9)

When we walk in the fear of the Lord, we walk in:

Peace (Isaiah 26:3)
Wisdom (Proverbs 14:26–27)
Strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
Identity (1 Peter 2:9)

woman in black long sleeve shirt and blue denim jeans sitting on white concrete wall

woman in black long sleeve shirt and blue denim jeans sitting on white concrete wall

What it's not.

The fear of the Lord is not:

Fear that God is waiting to punish you (Romans 8:1)
Shame for not being perfect
(Psalm 34:5)
Religious pressure to perform
(Matthew 11:28–30)
Trying to earn God’s love
(Ephesians 2:4–5,8–9)

Why we need it.

We need the fear of the Lord because without it, our hearts would drift.

We would:

Seek approval from people
(Galatians 1:10)
Sin and not perfect holiness
(2Corinthians 7:1)

The fear of the Lord is not restriction.
It is protection!

“The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear Him,

and delivers them.” Psalm 34:7