Fear of the Lord

[trimont]

Has anybody struggled with the concept of fearing the Lord? I think based on relationships in our world which bring us fear sometimes it’s hard to think of God in those terms. Someone once explained to me that it’s more of an intense respect and awe for His power and mercy. Any other ideas or definitions?

 

[patricia]

The Scriptures declare that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7) as well as “the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10).

I believe that the fear of the Lord is a feeling of reverence, awe, and respect.

 

[SwordofLight]

As Patricia said, fearing the Lord is not cowering in your closet all night. It’s respecting our Creator.

 

[Emmaus]

There are two types of fear of the Lord. Sevile fear and filial fear or reverence. Servile fear is the fear of a slave and filial fear is the fear or reverence of a child of God for his Father. The first may lead to the second which is the ideal. There is, I believe, a correlation here between two types of contrition for our sins, imperfect and perfect.

Go to the link below for The catechisam and enter “fear of the Lord” into the search string and it will bring up pertinent passages from the Catechism.

scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc2.htm

 

[cmom]

Fear of the Lord is knowing who God is and who we are not.
Its a sense of being a drop of water in the great river of time flowing from Creation to Second Coming. Each of us is vastly important to God and should be vastly un-important to ourselves.

 

[trimont]

Thanks to all who responded… Coincidentally (?!) in today’s reading from In Conversation with God, the topic is The Gift of Fear. The final paragraph sums it up perfectly:

"The holy fear of God will gently lead us to a prudent mistrust of ourselves, to flee quickly from the occasions of sin. And it will incline us to a greater sensitivity for God and all that refers to God. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us by means of this gift to recognize our faults sincerely and to feel true sorrow for them. May He make us react as the Psalmist: My eyes shed streams of tears because men do not keep thy law (Ps*.118:136) Let us pray that, with a sensitive soul, we always keep alive our sense of sin." *

- Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God.​

 

[sabrinaofmn]

Go to www.blueletterbible.com and look at what the concordance says for the word “fear”. You will find that it is a fear coupled with reverence, awe, and piety. We should truly tremble in respect toward the God who created all things.

 

[mangy_dog]

Has anybody struggled with the concept of fearing the Lord? I think based on relationships in our world which bring us fear sometimes it’s hard to think of God in those terms. Someone once explained to me that it’s more of an intense respect and awe for His power and mercy. Any other ideas or definitions?

Fear of the Lord is not of being afraid of the Lord. It is of fearing to offend the Lord. Because He is all good and deserving of all our love…

I don’t know of any other answer that is as clear as this. Especially after confession is when I am most in fear of offending the Lord - although to assume sinlessness is already a sin of pride. But that’s another subject.

I fear to offend Him…that’s what it means.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.