Thoughts for the Day

Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealthy and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures for ever.
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.....

For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, from The New Revised Standard version)

Thoughts

Psalms 111 and 112 are acrostic psalms, that is each 'verse' starts with a successive letter from the Hebrew alphabet. They are the same length, and have many other similarities. Psalm 111 closes with the words 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom', and Psalm 112 begins with the words 'Happy are those who fear the Lord'.

Jesus taught us that we have a loving Heavenly Father, who forgives us when we confess our sin, and who welcomes us back when we turn to Him. So what is this 'Fear of the Lord' about?

My own father served in the SAS during World War II, behind the lines in Italy, working in a cell of three men. I can imagine what they had to do, yet a more mild and gentle man I have never met. So my experience as a child didn't naturally lead me to want to fear my Heavenly Father.

But the fear that the Psalm is talking about is not being scared of God, it is rather a feeling of total reverence for God. We are to stand in complete and utter awe of Him and His works.

Saturday 14th November, follow up thoughts

Heavenly Father,
we praise your glorious Name,
and worship You this day.
May we never forgot
all that You have done for us
through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
and remember that You always
have our best interests at heart.
Amen.