For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. — Psalm 47:2
There is nothing wrong with a healthy fear of certain things in life. For example, I am not an extreme risk-taker. You will never catch me skydiving, rock climbing, or anything that will place my life in unnecessary danger. I am also not the world’s biggest fan of snakes. It doesn’t matter to me the size of the snake, or the type of snake, I do not like a snake. If I am anywhere near a snake, I respect it and what it is capable of.
For people who take on dangerous activities or have a pet snake, I have to admire them. There is a level of fear that I have that they are able to overcome. Those are things that I will never be able to do.
While they may overcome their fear, there is a certain type of fear that we should never overcome. That is our fear of God. That is not that we are afraid of God, but that we respect God, who He is, and what He can do. We should reverence Him and adore Him because of who He is.
The Psalmist writes of how God is the most high and “terrible.” This is not terrible in the sense of being horrible. It is not that God is unfair, unkind, or unjust. Instead, it’s the idea of respecting Him, adoring Him, and loving Him for who He really is.
Each of our lives should be filled with a healthy respect for God. He is the one over all the earth, as the Psalmist writes. But more than that, He is our God and our Lord. He is so good to each of us, even when we do not deserve it.
Across the world, there are Christians who need encouragement and strength that only God’s word can provide. We are focused on helping Christians find encouragement, develop stronger relationships with God, and help non-Christians come to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Another Well Ministries is a non-profit ministry that relies on donations to continue our work. You can find out more about us and ways to support us here.
If you enjoy our devotionals, subscribe for free to receive them daily in your email!