Reverence

Reverence

Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a place of refuge for their children.

Proverbs 14:26

The benefits of reverence for God don’t stop with us—they are passed down to our children in some very unique ways. We’re taught in this proverb that if a parent fears, or reverences, the Lord, she has a secure spiritual fortress. The refuge and protection of that fortress will be experienced by her children as well.

A fortress includes walls around a city to protect it from enemy attacks. Back in Bible times these walls were fifteen to twenty-five feet thick and twenty-five feet high. On top of these walls, towers were built at regular intervals, giving defenders a good viewpoint from which they could counter an attack. The outside walls were often protected by a moat that made direct assault almost impossible. A city inside a fortress typically had only one gate—two at the most—keeping security very tight. Since no city could last long without an adequate water supply, fortified cities were generally built near rivers or springs.

When we choose to reverence God by trusting him, spending time in his Word, and obeying what we’re learning, he becomes our spiritual fortress. Our walls are built thick against temptation, we become wise about what we need to look out for, and our water supply—refreshment from God—is unending. Even if we did not experience growing up in a family fortress of faith and security, we can choose, through reverence for God, to have that security for ourselves and for our children.

Father,

Oh, how we need to be protected. Thank you that you want to be our fortress. May we choose to reverence you so we will experience security for ourselves and for our children. Amen.