Those who fear Him

This morning Psa 147:11 caught my attention and I thought how amazing that God would take pleasure in “those who fear Him”.  Fear can mean to be afraid or it can mean to reverence, and when it comes to God, I think both are an appropriate response.  Too often we try to bring Him down to our level in an attempt to understand Him or to somehow have control over Him.  And while He did become human, He was, is and will always be God, the creator of all that is seen and unseen.  Unless He reveals Himself to us (which He has) we could not begin to know Him.  It is here that I find that holy tension – that He desires to be in fellowship with us and yet He is so beyond, above and separate from us.

In the garden “those who fear Him” got perverted and fear took on a negative connotation.  Rather than drawing us into fellowship in became something that separated us.  We believed the lie - that we could be like Him and that somehow He was holding out on us when in truth His desire was to bless us, to provide for us and to be in relationship with us – on His terms, not ours.

Jesus came to bring us back into the center of relationship with the Father once again; to restore all the previous blessings and privileges that belong to “those who fear Him”.  The Psalms give us a glimpse of what those blessings are.  I am so grateful to be among "those who fear Him".

The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.  Psa 147:11

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy, Psa 33:18

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.  Psa 34:7

Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him. Psa 34:9

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,  Psa 85:9

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;  Psa 103:11

But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,  Psa 103:17

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.  Psa 145:19