Scripture:
Friendship with the Lord is reserved for those who fear Him. With them He shares the secrets of His covenant.
Psalm 25:14
Observation:
David uses the terms friendship and fear in the same sentence to describe a thriving relationship with God. How can this be? How these two can work together in harmony? David understood that deeper revelation comes to those who fear the Lord. The key question is, “What does it mean to fear the Lord?”
The answer is encapsulated in different sections of this psalm. Among many things, David highlights the importance of trusting God to guide us through the best path of life and relying in His forgiveness and saving grace. Also, David points out how crucial is to to be humble and honest and holy (integrity) before Him. The triple H principle (Humility, Honesty, Holiness) is also present when we define the fear of the Lord.
Application:
The fear of the Lord and friendship with Him come together in the level of respect and reverence we have for Him. He is a dear friend, yet He is to be revered. His intimate friendship cannot be misunderstood as casual or ordinary. The closer to God we want to be, the higher our regard for Him we should have. We cannot let our respect for God be diminished as we get more comfortable in His presence. The fear of the Lord is not about being suspicious of His punishing hand, but about being reverent of his loving grace. We must be triple H people not because we are afraid of God’s discipline, but because we are afraid of being far away from God. The fear of the Lord is based in our trust that He can guide us successfully through life, that He forgives all our iniquities, and that He extends His saving power to us when we walk in humility, honesty and holiness.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, once again I put my hope in you as the giver of life, the perfect guide of my daily affairs, and the faithful friend that reveals intimate secrets of your covenant to me. As I draw closer to you, please never allow me to take my friendship with you lightly. The more intimacy I develop with you, the more respect and reverence I want to have for you. Let me walk in a godly fear for you. I want to be HHH because I’m afraid to go through life without your guidance, your mercy, your forgiveness, and your protection. I surrender all to you! Let me be a good steward of the things you reveal to me so greater revelation can come into my life. I love you more than life! Amen.
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