The Awe of God: The Astounding Way a Healthy Fear of God Transforms Your Life

by John Paul Bevere

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name” (Malachi 3:16).

the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7),

What if fear—rightly aimed—is a virtue?

What if the fear of God is the paradoxical path to an authentic relationship with Him?

this area of our faith has been left unexamined, untried, and without benefit.

“The fear of God is the death of every other fear; like a mighty lion, it chases all other fears before it.”

Let’s start with an exploration of how awesome our God is. We’ll call it the “Awe of God”!

Fear of the Lord is His treasure, a choice jewel, given only to . . . those who are greatly beloved. —JOHN BUNYAN

Fear God . . . and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 AMPC)

The prized virtue is none other than the fear of God.

Holy fear’s importance so vastly trumps all other virtues that Scripture identifies it as Jesus’ delight (Isaiah 11:3 NKJV),

“The fear of the LORD is His [God’s] treasure” (Isaiah 33:6 NKJV).

I buffet my body . . . and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit]. (1 Corinthians 9:27 AMPC)

(Isaiah 33:6 AMPC)

Profession: I choose to value holy fear as life’s great treasure, and in doing so I will be strengthened to remain on the path of living well.

Fear God, yes, but don’t be afraid of Him. —J. A. SPENDER

The apostle Paul writes, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 NKJV).

Again, he instructs, “Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1 NKJV).

Holy fear is a New Testament truth.

To fear God, is one of the first and greatest Duties of his rational Creatures. —CHARLES INGLIS

(Hebrews 12:28–29 NKJV)

meaning of awe. For awe’s definition I looked at the original 1828 edition of Noah Webster’s dictionary. Here’s what I found: “fear, dread inspired by something great and terrific; to strike with fear and reverence. To influence by fear, terror or respect.”

To fear God is to reverence and be in complete awe of Him. To fear God is to hallow Him. Hallow is defined as “to respect greatly.” To fear God is to esteem, respect, honor, venerate, and adore Him above anyone or anything else.

omnipresence.

manifest presence.

(Psalm 89:7 NKJV)

Before prayer, endeavor to realize Whose Presence you are approaching and to Whom you are about to speak, keeping in mind Whom you are addressing. —TERESA OF AVILA

“In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple” (Psalm 5:7 NKJV).

God is our Father, Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and the Spirit of God loves us deeply.

is called “the consuming fire” (He...

Here is the bottom-line truth: where the Lord is reverenced, His presence manifests.

When we see Him face-to-face in all His awesome holiness and blazing glory, it will seem incredible to us that we ever had a casual thought in relation to Him. —JOY DAWSON

Our holy fear grows proportionally to our comprehension of God’s greatness.

(Psalm 145:3)

742 BC, the prophet Isaiah was transported to heaven.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21 NKJV).

How about Ezekiel? He saw the Lord and wrote, “This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground” (Ezekiel 1:28).

“Abram fell face down on the ground” (Genesis 17:3).

“Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, ‘I am terrified and tre...

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead” (Revelation 1:17).

(Isaiah 40:13–14, 18).

(Isaiah 40:25).

If we would just pause, turn inward, and gaze at His magnificence, we would be enriched, strengthened, and at peace. We are promised: For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Best of all, in beholding Him we are promised to be made “more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Whose image do you aspire to be conformed to—the celebrities of our day, or the One who created the universe? Choose wisely, and take heed to what you hear and give your attention to.

What would happen if I took ten-minute segments three times a day, shut out all outside influences, and pondered the greatness of God?

Men reverence one another, not yet God. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU

both Joel and Isaiah say that the sun and moon will be darkened and the stars will not shine on the day Jesus returns (Isaiah 13:9–10; Joel 2:31–32).

we are told that all the people of the earth are going to cry out “to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’” (Revelation 6:16).

“I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.” (Exodus 33:19 NKJV) God identifies Moses’ request for glory as “all My goodness.”