“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.”
—Psalm 128:1-2 ESV

Psalm 128 says that those who fear the Lord will be blessed.

That begs the question: what does it mean to fear the Lord?

I love the moment in the book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (by C.S. Lewis) when the Pevensie children learn that Aslan is a lion. Alarmed, Susan exclaims, “‘Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.’ ‘Safe?’ said Mr Beaver . . . ‘Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’”

I think that quote captures the essence of the biblical concept of the “fear of the Lord.”

To fear the Lord is to realize that he is not “safe.” We can’t control him. He is the Creator of the universe, the Almighty One who breathed everything into existence.

We should be awestruck in his presence.

At the same time, to fear the Lord does not mean to hide from him in terror.

No, because he is good, and his perfect love casts out the fear of punishment (see 1 John 4:18).

A healthy, biblical fear of the Lord actually leads us closer to God.

And when we are close to him we will be blessed.

Here is a simple prayer to carry with you today:

Inhale: God,
Exhale: I stand in awe of you.