08/27/2026
I think I’ve always looked at “the fear of the Lord” like it’s something you grow out of instead of something that pulls you deeper into His arms the more you grow…
And maybe I’ve confused being comfortable WITH God with becoming casual ABOUT God a little.
.we ARE invited close.
He is Father.
He calls us friends.
We can come boldly to the throne of grace.
We can know His voice, pour out our hearts, ask questions, laugh, cry, and talk to Him on a regular old Thursday.
There is a beautiful comfort in relationship with God. There SHOULD be.
But there’s also this…
“…what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul..”
//Deuteronomy 10:12
And here’s something I really thought was cool…
That word translated “fear” comes from the same Hebrew verb used when God says:
“Every one of you shall fear his mother and his father..”
//Leviticus 19:3
That helped me understand it a little differently.
God isn’t telling us to spend our lives scared of Him any more than He’s telling us to be terrified of our parents.
There’s a reverence there. An awe. A recognition of who someone is and the authority they carry that actually affects how we respond to them.
And then look at Deuteronomy again.
Fear Him.
Walk with Him.
Love Him.
Serve Him.
All in the same breath.
So apparently fear and love aren’t opposites at all.
Neither are intimacy and reverence.
And maybe THAT’S what has been stirring around in me lately.
The closer I get to Him, the more comfortable I can be WITH Him… while somehow becoming less and less casual ABOUT Him.
I can talk to Him about anything.
I can laugh with Him.
I can cry with Him.
I can ask Him my weird questions.
I can crawl up in my Father’s lap.
And at the same time know…
This is the GOD Who created everything we see, touch, taste, feel..
The same GOD Who wiped out a world full of corrupt beings by breaking open the sky and letting the rain come down.
He is Father.
He calls me friend.
He welcomes me ridiculously close.
And He is still HOLY.
Maybe the fear of the Lord is learning to live incredibly close to God without ever losing the wonder of WHO we’re close to.