Whatever Happened to the Fear of God?
Several years ago I had lunch with a precious husband and wife who had been in the Lord’s work for many years. In their early days, they had been part of a great revival movement and had personally seen spiritual awakenings in different places. As we talked about the history of great revivals I asked them why they thought we had not seen a spiritual awakening in our day. The answer, spoken softly by the wife, surprised me…“We have lost the fear of God.”
The more I study Scripture, the more I see that the fear of God is indeed the starting point for everything God does with man. The fear of the Lord truly is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). Only as we see God in His holiness and glory will we see ourselves as we are before Him. Revival begins with revelation. Repentance begins with the fear of God. It was when Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up that he cried out “woe is me” (Isaiah 6:1-5).
This is not just an Old Testament principle; it is an eternal one – rooted in the eternal nature of God. Take the book of Acts and observe all of the references to the fear of God in the early church. Those who live in a state of revival are those who live in awe of who God is!
J. Edwin Orr wrote much on the subject of revival. In his final sermon, before he went to be with the Lord, he said that revival is much like judgment day! Revival does not make us feel better. It brings conviction of sin and brings us nearer to God. If it does not make us a holy people, then it is not the work of the Holy Spirit.
It is this passion for revival and burden for a return to the fear of God that has led us to our next ETJ study. This week we began a new series through the Minor Prophet, Habakkuk. The book is minor only in size – its message is a major theme of the Bible: WE NEED REVIVAL!
“O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).
Our prayer is that God will use these episodes to focus our attention on the great need of the hour. Please plan to join us on your favorite podcast platform, YouTube, or at etj.bible, and help us pray for a genuine revival in our day.
