LEARNING HOW TO FEAR GOD

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is from the profit Malachi.  Just before the transition to the New Testament, these short four chapters are packed with good news-and possibly some not so great-for us to take in and digest. I learned something recently from there that speaks to me about my own life and my need to learn to fear God in a genuine way.

When I was in my early twenties, I had only known Jesus for a few short years. But I was diving into the Word and learning as much as I could. It was my passion and I couldn't get enough. I remember the day. It was a moment I will never forget. I had just finished studying when I leaned back in my chair and said out loud, "I think I'm getting this all figured out!" Immediately the thought came to me: That wasn't good. Watch out! I now know this was the voice of the Holy Spirit, but in those days, I hadn't really learned to distinguish the voices. What followed were months of spiritual struggle like I had never experienced before. 

There have been many years since then and many new and wonderful things have happened. But there have been some bad times as well. I learned a lot about myself and my relationship with God, but I'm not sure I've ever understood what it means to fear him. In the third chapter God says through the profit Malachi, "You have spoken arrogantly against me." As I look back at that time years ago, I get it. That's exactly what I did that day. This arrogance has to do with elevating myself above my dependence on God. I think I can do it on my own and for most of my life that is exactly what I did. 

Arrogance against God can be a number of things. Maybe I give up on my Christian life and think it just really isn't worth the struggle. Maybe I look at people who don't know God at all and see that they are doing just fine. In fact they are doing great. This serves to push me off-track in my pursuit of the kingdom of God. In the end, it is futile to look anywhere else but to God for my strength, health, hope, joy, and love. Malachi spoke God's word and it hit me right between the eyes. 

But there is a redemption from my struggle. Malachi 3:16 says this: "Then those who feared the Lord met together and talked, and the Lord listened and heard." (NIV)  There is a value that can only be given us through times of meeting together. When we sit down together and talk about life with one another, it is prayer. It brings a unique fellowship with each other and the Holy Spirit that is life-giving. This helps me to understand why the writer of Hebrews cautions us to never forsake meeting together. 

What I've learned is this: The opposite of arrogance is humility. Therefore living in the fear of the Lord is living in humility. I find myself praying regularly asking God to help me be humble before him. Really it's my own choice, but God is interested in removing everything that hinders my love relationship with him. I won't get closer to him by being arrogant. I will learn to love him, serve him, and be his kid through being humble and always acknowledging him as MY Lord. He draws near to the humble, but resists the arrogant. I want to be humble.