What Are We Afraid Of?

"It's too bad they have to call it that," 6 year old Lily said. "People will be scared of
God and they won't like Him."

My  granddaughter and I had just read how the King of Egypt ordered two midwives
to kill the Hebrew baby boys at birth. To disobey Pharaoh's commands was a life
threatening choice. Still, the midwives continued to help deliver Hebrew babies and
let all of them live. Why?

Because the midwives feared God (Exodus 1:17).    

Their fear of God took away their fear of Pharaoh. Lily and I were impressed with
Shiphah and Puah's willingness to go against the king's orders. From a young age we
learn about the importance of courage in this life. Sooner or later we all need to take a
stand for what's right. Interesting how God fear becomes courage when we act upon it.

But as Lily pointed out, the "fear of the Lord" doesn't draw a crowd. Our first reaction 

to it compares more to our response to okra with mustard greens than say, apple crisp 

alamode. Nothing against okra or mustard greens. I'm sure they're nutritious and even 

tasty in their own way. Even so, most families don't eat them every week or even once 

a month.  

So is the fear of the Lord among many Christians. This fear comes across like the cod
liver oil of Christianity. something most likely good for us, but when it comes to learning
more about it, ahh... maybe another time. But that's only because we don't know what
we're missing.

Like Moses and the burning bush, the Lord drew me to the fear of Him 20 years ago,
and I've been fascinated by it ever since. Some of the amazing things I've learned fill
the pages of my new book, "The Neglected Journey." (Amazon Kindle) A reader
friendly book with relatable, family examples and gentle humor. Yet even though I've
been studying and writing about this fear for years, it feels like I've just scratched the
surface. Proof that when it comes to the things of God, we're all lifelong students at best.