Fear and Hope
“The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Ps. 147:11)
Love the juxtaposition of “fear” and hope here. If the meaning of the word fear was really how we commonly think of it, the next line would make no sense at all. No one would place their hope in someone they didn’t want to be around and thought was going to destroy them.
Biblical fear doesn’t cause us to recoil, dread, and stay at a distance. Instead, it calls us near, in awe-filled awareness of God’s holiness and the great privilege it is to know and trust Him through Christ.
See also: Prov. 14:26-27; 15:33; 16:6; 22:4
Bigger: Maybe Our Worship Is Just Too Small 
Thank you! God is blessing me to preach on “fearing God”–it will be a 3 or 4 week series. Your post is timely and appreciated! 🙂