Psalm 112:1-9
As we saw yesterday, the fear of the Lord does not have to do with terror or trepidation, but rather refers to appropriate awe and reverence for who God is. It is a quality that we as Christians should seek and nurture. Though we don't hear the expression often enough today, it should still be a great compliment to be known as a God-fearing man or woman.
To fear God produces all manner of fruit in the Christian's life. It leads to our hating evil as God does, and the Bible also tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111:10) The more we acquire divine understanding, the greater will be our love for the Bible and God's commandments.
In addition to all these assets, we find that the person who learns to fear God will have a strong family (v. 2), with children who grow to be courageous for the truth.
God-fearing people also find that "light arises in the darkness for the upright." (v. 4) This doesn't mean that we will never have dark times or periods of distress in the valley - we will have trials, headaches, and tears like the rest of mankind. But in our hardships, we are promised the light that comes from God's angels of deliverance. These protective messengers encamp around those who fear the Lord. They surround believers above and beneath so that nothing can get at you without divine permission. Ask God to help you have a proper, reverential fear of Him. It is a request He will be pleased to honor.
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Charles Frazier Stanley was born September 25, 1932, in the small town of Dry Fork, Virginia. The only child of Charley and Rebecca Stanley, Charles came into the world during a time when the entire nation felt the grip of the Great Depression. To make matters worse, just nine months later, his father Charley died at the young age of 29.
However, Charles refused to let the Great Depression or the difficulties of his life define him. Instead, like his father and grandfather before him, he clung to God’s Word and took up the mantle to preach the gospel to whoever would listen.
Dr. Stanley’s motivation is best represented by the truth found in Acts 20:24, “Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.” This is because, as he says, “It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people’s lives.”
Dr. Stanley’s teachings can be heard weekly at First Baptist Church Atlanta, daily on “In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley” radio and television broadcasts on more than 2,800 stations around the world, on the Internet at intouch.org, through the In Touch Messenger, and in the monthly, award-winning In Touch magazine.