Fear Of God

Fear of God

He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

Psalm 145:19

What does the phrase “fear of God” mean to you? Respect? Reverence? It means this for many Amish, but for some it means more.

“I desperately wanted to leave the Amish, but I didn’t want to pay with an eternity in hell by an angry God,” writes Malinda Detweiler, author of I Was Amish: A Personal Story of an Amish Girl and Her Life.

A dream came to me, one night. I was lying out in the meadow feeling peaceful, knowing I was going to die. I was lying there when suddenly a terrible feeling of guilt overpowered me. The intensity of guilt urged me to frantically pray for forgiveness. I prayed obsessively but regardless of my constant praying, I felt worse. . . . Finally I began to have a sense of peace.

Yet I woke up sweating and tense, distrustful. I contemplated my dream. I knew I had a terrible fear of God as a young Amish girl, after hearing many horror stories about hell. The Amish taught me that God might approve of me if I dressed plain enough. He might extend favor to me if I followed the Amish rules. I might have hope of getting to heaven, but only if I tried hard enough. And yet, it seemed hopeless.

Do you fear that you aren’t good enough to earn God’s love? No one is good enough. Nothing you can do will ever be enough. Ephesians 2:8 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Salvation is a gift, not a paycheck for good things we do to try to earn God’s love.

A simple, heartfelt prayer confessing your sins and asking God to forgive you is all you need. Go before God now. Read His Word. Pay attention to His Spirit’s nudgings in your heart. God desires to rescue you from sin. Turn to Him!

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of salvation, which is free to us because Jesus paid the full price. May I cling to You until You carry me home.