When reading the bible, you may come across scriptures such as, Psalm 34:8-9 which state, "fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him, lack nothing." The exact phrase, "fear the Lord," appears twenty-seven times in the bible. However, you may have wondered, "what does it mean when it appears in a scripture like Psalm 34?" Is it a command; like in Jeremiah 46:28 when the Lord instructs Jacob to,"Fear not!"? Recently, I have come to understand its meaning; as well as, the importance of carrying it out in one's life.
My definition of "fearing the Lord," is to have great awe and respect for the living God. The kind of respect that causes us to obey Him without reservation in every area of our lives. This is not the same type of "fear" mentioned in Jeremiah 46:28. In that scripture, the Lord was literally commanding Jacob to cease being afraid. Often times, we bristle at hearing the word "command;" but obedience is not only right; it can result in tremendous benefits in our lives.
If we look at verse 9 in Psalm 34, David states that those who "fear Him" will lack nothing. The word "nothing" certainly includes all things spiritual such as love, joy, peace, patience, etc.; but I also take it to mean everything we need in our physical life too- including health and healing. The Lord wants to bless us with overflowing gifts; but it is important that we respect Him first- Deuteronomy 28:2, "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, IF you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
At times, it may seem difficult to obey the Lord in all situations, but it is possible! Jesus stated, "if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move." If you are a follower of Jesus, then you have this seed in you . God planted it there and it's your job to "water" it by taking small steps of obedience toward ever increasingly bigger steps. In time, it will become a way of life. One that was meant for every single one of us.
