Bible Reading: Psalm 112
“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord , that delighteth greatly in his commandments.” – Psalm 112:1 (KJV).
There are two types of fear mentioned in the Bible. The Commanded Fear which is good and we should have. ( Ecclessiastes 12:13; Proverbs 1:7 ). This fear will lead to holiness, works out our salvation and aid us in evangelism. The second type is a Forbidden or condemned fear ( Psalm 91:5) It arises out of terror, fright, alarm, apprehension, anxiety or distrust. Love can cast out this fear.
The Commanded fear is fear of the Lord and it comes from reverence for God for who he is. Knowing that he is love and a consuming fire. That he is omnipresent ( can be everywhere at the same time), omniscient ( all knowing ) and omnipotent ( all powerful ).
When you fear God, our bible reading for today, Psalm 112 tells us the blessings associated with this obedience. Firstly it says your seeds shall be mighty on the earth and shall be blessed (vs 2). You shall also have wealth and riches on earth ( vs 3). Though you may have challenges in form of darkness but God will bring solutions in form of light to your path ( Vs 4). You shall not be afraid of evil things because your heart will be fixed on trusting your maker ( vs 7). Because you fear the Lord, you will obey his commandments among which is to give to the poor. God will then make you Honourable and the wicked ones shall see you and be envious but their evil desires concerning you shall perish ( vs 9-10).
But you cannot fear the Lord that you do not know. You need to accept him as your Lord and Saviour before you can truly fear him. If you have therefore not accepted him yet, please call on him, confess your sins to him, determine to forsake those sins and live a life of total obedience to God going forward. Then you can lay claim to Psalm 112:1 (KJV) that “Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord , that delighteth greatly in his commandments.”
Prayer point: Father, give me the the grace to fear you every moment of my life.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero