In Awe of the Father
“And He will delight in the fear of the Lord…” Isaiah 11:3a
The prophet Isaiah speaks of Christ as a branch who grows from the root of Jesse (David’s lineage). From his deep-rooted communion and sharing with the Father and the Spirit, he broke into human history as a vine whose branches now fill the earth in seven unique ways. Imagine with me a tree that has beautiful foliage flowing from its center—this is Christ. He is the Tree of Life, the very source of all created things that live, move, and have their being (see John 15; Acts 17:28). The seven (complete and whole) branches that manifested through his life are Lordship, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. Among these seven aspects of Christ’s ministry, Isaiah mentions the “fear of the Lord” twice (once in verse three and again in verse four). In addition, this particular aspect is the only one the prophet mentions that he delights in, later declaring as “his treasure” (see Isaiah 33:6). Apparently, there’s something significant to be said about this one.
Although I have come to love the “fear of the Lord,” I haven’t always. Even though I may have tolerated such an aspect of scriptural instruction, I really didn’t mind going there. I just couldn’t imagine wanting to be in a relationship with someone who asked me to fear them. For this reason, I found it impossible to reconcile the goodness of God with the fear of God, and it took a good part of my life to finally awaken to what I am now joyfully and eagerly writing about. Once I began to understand the deeper meaning of what Isaiah was saying, my whole perspective shifted. I now see how the writer of Ecclesiastes could say, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God...for this is the duty of all mankind” (12:13 NIV).
“It dawned on me that even my best theological and spiritual formation had not been able to completely free me from a Father God who remained somewhat threatening and somewhat fearsome...I know I share this experience with countless others. I have seen how this fear of becoming subject to God’s revenge and punishment has paralyzed the mental and emotional lives of many people, independently of their age, religion, or lifestyle. This paralyzing fear of God is one of the great human tragedies.” —Henri Nouwan
I understand that some of you may still have a tough time with the concept of “fear,” simply because, like me in times past, it isn’t necessarily something you would consider a positive. For many of us, fear is associated with riding a rollercoaster, standing on tall heights or, because of past trauma, interacting with someone we know. I understand these are fears that can help keep us safe and, quite frankly, alive, but did you know there is a healthy fear that causes your heart to come alive? Do you realize there’s a holy fear that draws you into the one you’re in awe of? Friends, this is what Jesus Christ has resting upon him and what caused Isaiah to prophesy its manifestation twice.
It’s important to remember: the term (“fear”) that Isaiah used (and the one we use in the twenty-first century) are very much different in meaning. Our inability to reconcile the fear of God with the goodness of God comes from our misunderstanding of the term “fear.” Allow me to explain.
The word Isaiah uses for “fear” is yira. It comes from the root word yare, meaning “to stand in awe of ” or (its derivative) “to cause astonishment and awe, to be held in awe.” This term, rooted in the awareness of the goodness and the love of the Father, has everything to do with awe; it’s where we get the concept of being awestruck. For this, the “fear of the Lord” is communal and love-centered—a relational dynamic that causes us to draw close and lean into the person we are in awe of. In fact, to say the opposite would be an utter misunderstanding of the word. Maybe “fear” is a beautiful thing after all.
“Here is not a fear that stands on the flip side of the grace and goodness of God. It is the sort of fear Hosea describes when he prophesies how ‘the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God...they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days’ (Hosea 3:5). It is a fear ‘to the Lord and to his goodness.’ It is a fear that, as Charles Spurgeon put it, leans toward the Lord’ because of his very goodness. It is the sort of marveling fear we come across in the face of Jesus’s giving of life.” —Michael Reeves
This kind of holy, healthy fear—the inward fascination of the Father—is what caused Jesus to live fully alive. The ability to be held in astonishment and awe of the Father—to “not judge [the Father] by what he hears with his ears” or what culture said about him—is what kept Jesus Christ engaged with the One in whom his soul delighted.
Just as Jesus was sustained by inward fascination and awe of the Father, so are we sustained by inward fascination of the Father. This is why John Bunyan writes: “It is the devil’s work to promote a fear of God that makes people afraid of God such that they want to flee from God. The Spirit’s work is the exact opposite; to produce in us a wonderful fear that wins and draws us to God.” This work of the indwelling Spirit is clearly expressed in Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy: “They shall be My people, I will be their God; I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children...I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts, so that they will not turn away from Me” (32:38-40 NASB).
This sort of wonderful fear, which Jeremiah attributes to the goodness of the Father, causes us to live in the fullness of life that Jesus promised (see Jeremiah 33:9). I suppose this is why Paul writes, “My beloved ones....I’m asking you now to keep following my instructions...Now you must continue to make this new life fully manifested as you live in the holy awe of God—which brings you trembling into his presence.” Philippians 2:12 (TPT)
This is an excerpt from my new book, “Fascinated: Living in Awe of the Father.”
