Dread of God arises from wanting to do my life my way. I succumb to the serpent’s ancient temptation to think I know better. My fear of God is not healthy, but rather it’s full of resentment that he might thwart my dream of how life should be. By contrast, in Psalm 19 David exults in the healthy fear of the LORD. In his law, God has made known who he is and how he wants us to live. His ways bless both his people and the world. So, David offers a string of superlatives: God’s commands in the inspired Scripture are perfect, sure, right, clean, pure and true. They undergird justice and harmony. 

 

Would anyone want a house built according to measurements that were mere conjecture? Would we want electrical wires crossed at the junction box? Drain pipes that were too narrow to carry out the waste? Doors that didn’t close all the way? Would anyone cry out that it is unjust that we require proper building practices that accord with the physics of the world? We rightly fear the power of water and electricity, wind and weather. Ignoring their reality leads to ruin. Accommodating their reality leads to safety and comfort. 

 

In Psalm 19, David extols the beauty of God’s word, and he describes the benefits of adapting ourselves to its truth. The precepts of the LORD revive us in our very souls, make us wise, enlighten our view of the world and gladden our hearts. They do not make us servile, weak, or diminished. Just the opposite. The fear of the LORD, the five “r’s” of always being aware of his reality, creates beautiful, grounded lives.

 

In our excerpt from Psalm 25, David expands on the benefits of the fear of God. He finds the relief of confessing his sin. Rather than proudly holding on to his personal choices even as he falls into ruin, David confesses that his own way has been a bad way. He knows life can only be found in fearing the LORD. In verse 12, that means being open to the instruction and guidance God will give those who give their lives to him. This leads to a state of continuous well-being deep in the soul, a peace that circumstances cannot steal.

 

But there is one more extraordinary aspect of fearing the LORD for us to see: “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him” (Psalm 25:14). Fearing God does not make us cowering slaves! When we rightly regard the LORD as the center of all reality, the source of all good and our highest goal, and we constantly refer every situation to him, we are granted access to a beautiful intimacy. The high king of heaven shares his own fatherly heart with us. We know Jesus as our brother. We know the Holy Spirit as our companion and advocate within. We join God in carrying out his good purposes for the world. Jesus told his disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). Obeying God is not like getting bossed around by a controlling friend. It’s syncing up our lives to the heartbeat of love at the center of reality. 

Though better known from Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10 expresses the heart of healthy Biblical fear: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” How do we start to live a life that is balanced, flexible, prudent, energized, fruitful, other-centered and, in short, wise? We demonstrate respecting, relating and rejoicing fear towards the true God. There is no way around this. The only alternative is to decide we can do better and to forge our own path to life. It sounds so brave and freeing. But in reality, my personally planned path makes me smaller, less loving, less interested (and even less interesting), and more prone to bitterness, panic and anxiety. God made us for himself. The wise person aligns with this reality.

 

Finally, from Psalm 33, we read how healthy Biblical fear of God is a more reliable resource against suffering than earthly power:

 

The king is not saved by his great army;

     a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

     and by its great might it cannot rescue.

 

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,

     on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death

     and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD;

     he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him,

     because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,

     even as we hope in you. (Psalm 33:16-22)

 

The loving watchful eye of God upon us creates more security than alarm systems, personal guards and great armies. We cannot hold back the advance of time or suspend our inevitable mortality. We cannot protect our loved ones from all heartaches, accidents or mishaps. We’re going to go through life’s trials. Of course, it’s not wrong to take proper precautions. But far better is the security that comes from acknowledging the LORD’s sovereignty and trusting him to be with us in whatever we must endure. Railing against this reality of God and striving to save ourselves from what we wrongly fear God might cruelly impose leads only to angry despair. My favorite part of the five “r’s” of healthy fear is “relaxing and rejoicing.” I trust in the triune God as my help and shield. Even amid pressures and problems, I can find gladness of heart. His eye is upon me. And you. That is the gaze that sustains 

the universe.