Plan One: Fearing, Loving, & Trusting GodSample

## A DIFFERENT KIND OF FEAR I have never seen horror “slasher” movies like Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street . The main character and villain in the latter film is Freddy Krueger, who, with just one look, elicits the type of fear the filmmakers intended. I do not recommend you see such a film. However, for illustration purposes, let’s suppose my wife and I went to see a movie in this genre. Upon leaving the theater and getting into the car, we would check to ensure no one was in the back seat. I would ensure all my doors and windows are locked upon arriving home. I would make sure all exterior lights were on, and I would probably wake up that evening to every creaky sound in the house. I’m not exactly sure how I would respond, but I know what I would NOT say. Upon leaving that theater, I would not turn to my wife and say, “After seeing that movie, I think Freddy Krueger loves me.” Unlike the fear in a horror film that instills dread, alarm, panic, and likely terror, the Bible’s reference to fear of the Lord holds a completely different meaning. * Rather than a fear that causes us to hide or dread, it is a fear gift wrapped in the love of God (“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him”). * Rather than a fear that causes us to check the locks of our windows and doors, it is a fear that protects and cares for us (“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and He delivers them”). * Rather than a fear that drives us away from God, the fear of the Lord is a fear that engenders God’s compassion and draws us to Him (“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him”). I encourage you to read Psalm 128 and discover God’s many blessings as you learn the Biblical way to fear the Lord.