“And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”
Acts 9:31 (ESV). When I first came to Christ, I stumbled over a word that echoed through Scripture.
Again and again, I read that we are called to fear the Lord.
Fear, to me, meant being afraid. Why would a loving God ask for that?
It took time for the meaning to unfold.
The fear of the Lord grows from recognising who God truly is. He is perfectly holy and sovereign over all creation. His authority reaches every corner of our lives.
Such recognition stirs reverence within us.
Reverence is a deep awe that bows before the holiness and authority of God.
Acts paints this picture in the early church.
Saul had fiercely persecuted believers. Then the risen Christ met him on the road to Damascus and Saul became a follower of the very Jesus whose people he had sought to destroy.
After storms came peace. Across Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, believers were strengthened.
Luke tells us how they lived:
“And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”
They walked in the fear of the Lord. It shaped their steps.
It became the path they chose each day.
The same verse tells us they knew the comfort of the Holy Spirit. They knew God's presence while living with deep reverence for His authority.
Solomon writes:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom...”
Proverbs 9:10 (ESV)
When we see God rightly, our own wisdom steps aside. We look to Him for direction. His Word becomes our guide.
This became a turning point in my own journey.
I learned that the fear of the Lord is to be embraced.
His holiness calls us from sin. His authority reminds us who leads. The fear of the Lord becomes a safeguard, urging us toward obedience.
Obedience does not promise ease. Scripture is honest: the faithful will face trials. Wisdom teaches us to walk with Him, even when the path is hard.
Perhaps you have wrestled with that word too.
Look again at the One Scripture calls us to fear. See His holiness. Recognise His rightful authority over your life.
You may find what Scripture has whispered all along.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”
Wisdom begins when we see God as He is and let that vision shape our steps. As reverence grows, so does our longing to seek His will and walk in it.
The fear of the Lord is a gift. It leads us to wisdom and steadies us for whatever the road may hold.
Shalom, Jacques
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