Should I have fear of God?
The word we translated as 'awe' or fear throughout the Bible is the Hebrew word yiráh (יראה, pronounced "yir-áh"), which can also be translated as devotion, respect, reverence and worship.
But yiráh also means ‘fear of the Lord’. Moses was filled with fear (yiráh) when he begged God to be able to see His glory, and could not behold it, lest he should die.
The Israelites were filled with fear (yiráh) when Moses came down Mount Sinai. I grew up thinking that to "fear the Lord" meant to be scared of Him. But as I was in real awe of a stunning sunset, I didn’t feel fear. I felt awe and wanted to worship the Creator. I felt yiráh! Proverbs 9:10 says: “The fear –yiráh– of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom… If you know God, the Holy One, you will understand what is right.”
The best way to regain our sense of awe is to follow God’s instructions (1 John 5:3). Jesus expressed its components, as two simple things: Love God, and love others. Do this… and we can regain our awe in God.
“The fear of God is holy.' This fear is the veneration a son has for his Father; never a servile fear, because your Father-God is not a tyrant."
“I don't like to speak of fear, for the Christian is moved by the charity of God, which has been shown to us in Christ and teaches us to love all men and the whole of creation. However, we should speak about being responsible, about being serious. "’Make no mistake about it; you cannot cheat God,’ the Apostle Paul warns us."
Thus, be consistent. Do you realize that the ‘fear of the Lord’ is expressed with our actions, by being ‘afraid’ of offending God? … by avoiding anything which may displease God? When was the last time you felt so moved by a sense of awe that all you could do was to thank God, to worship Him?
“It hurts me to see the danger of lukewarmness in which you place yourself when you do not strive seriously for perfection in your state in life.”
Say with me: “I don't want to be lukewarm! My God, pierce thou my flesh with thy fear: grant me a filial fear that will make me react!"
Lord, – say it with a contrite heart – may I never offend you again ... And do not think you are disqualified because sometimes you feel also fear; that fear comes because you know God wants you to be a saint, and you do not strive to be a saint.
The fear of God leads us to make good use of His grace. "’We beg you not to offer God's grace an unsuccessful welcome’. Yes, God's grace can fill us, provided we do not close the doors of our heart. We must be well-disposed; we must really want to change; we cannot play with God's grace.” St. Josemaría
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