DO YOU DELIGHT TO BE AFRAID?

Have you ever gathered the spectacular promises made to those who fear God? They are so wonderful that you would think fearing God must be the most thrilling thing in the world—which it is. So I hope you will be moved now to pursue it with all your might.

The friendship of the Lord—
  The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14, RSV)

The watch care of the Lord—
  The eye of the LORD is on those who fear him. (Psalm 33:18, RSV)

The deliverance of the Lord’s angels—
  The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:7, RSV)

  You shall fear the LORD your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. (2 Kings 17:39, RSV)

Freedom from craving—
  Those who fear [God] have no want! (Psalm 34:9, RSV)

The Lord’s fatherly pity—
  As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13, RSV)

The permanent love of God—
  The steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him. (Psalm 103:17, RSV)

Being enjoyed by the Lord—
  The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him. (Psalm 147:11, RSV)

Having the beginning and the essence of wisdom—
  The fear of the LORD, that is wisdom. (Job 28:28, RSV)

  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10, RSV)

Drinking at the fountain of life—
  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27, RSV)

Being satisfied—
  The fear of the LORD leads to life; and he who has it rests satisfied. (Proverbs 19:23, RSV)

This is so good, we might well ask whether sinners like us have any hope to do something so wonderful that God responds with such spectacular goodness, but that would be a backward way of thinking. It is not that we sinners wonderfully overcome our sin so that God responds with blessing; it’s the other way around. “There is forgiveness with You [O God] that You may be feared” (Psalm 130:4). God calls forth fear by forgiving our sin, not by condemning it. I know that sounds strange, but it is also very comforting. If bene-fits hang on our fearing God, remember that our fearing God hangs on the utterly undeserved forgiveness of God. Is it any wonder Isaiah says of the servant of the LORD, “His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:3, RSV)? I hope you will feel so much delight in this that you pursue it with all your might.


Piper, J. (1997). A Godward life: savoring the supremacy of God in all life (pp. 246–248). Multnomah Publishers.