Whom shall I fear?

Martha Olawale

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

Fear is not necessarily negative because who we fear determines how we fear, and how we define fear determines how we approach it. To fear the Lord is to walk in wisdom (Proverbs 9:10); to fear man is a snare (Proverbs 29:25), and the fear of evil is the consequence of a lack of fear for God. 

The fear of God leads from sin to repentance because sin is a reproach and will always lead to timidity and shame. When we walk in the fear of God, we see sin through the lens of God’s holiness and treat our fleshly desires with caution. We become more disciplined in adopting the right attitude toward the daily demands of the world. When we walk in the fear of God, we walk on the strait and narrow path with better resolve to honor God.

There is so much blessing in the fear of God because it doesn’t take from us; it adds to us. It doesn’t make us run; it makes us come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of trouble (Hebrews 4:16). While the fear of evil is a dark, scary place, the heart of anyone who fears God is lighted by His glory. Moses' first close encounter with God was the burning bush, and his fear was due to God's glory. Exodus 3:6 says, “At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”

While the fear of man reduces our worth and the fear of evil diminishes our faith, the fear of God dignifies and honors us. God’s people enjoy abundance when they walk in His fear. The Psalmist says in 34:9-11, “O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

Walking in the fear of God does not mean we embrace the spirit of fear because our fear of God is rooted in goodness and awe. After all, 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.” Our fear of God is from the Holy Spirit and a place of honor, love, and trust. It leads us to tremble in worship, not shake in terror. When God walked by Moses in Exodus 34, verse 8 says, “And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.”