Gotcha!

In scripture, we hear about fearing the Lord. It's all over scripture, from Exodus to Revelation. I feel as though the word itself - 'fear' - has an ever-evolving meaning. In the early Old Testament, you read passages like:
"I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 9:19)
"The hand of the Lord is powerful...always fear the Lord your God." (Joshua 4:24)

Seems to convey more of an irritable, easy-to-rattle God. One surely to be feared. :)

You make your way to Psalms, and you read:
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him." (Psalm 103:13)
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." (Psalm 111:10)
"Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands." (Psalm 112:1)

I don't know, the word 'fear' seems to soften a little bit. Let's press on, shall we? :)

Finally, fear isn't even mentioned in any of the gospels - the slice of history where Christ was Emmanuel - among us. 'Fear' reappears in Acts, but it's typically followed with 'less'. Fearless. Christ does a lot for us, but most of all He takes our fear and replaces it with joy and peace. It's all very nice.

But the word fear can still be used in our modern spirituality, I think. Take my life as an example. I've spent the better part of my life running from quality attention, gravitating towards the background where I feel the safest. The most comfortable place on earth for me is where no one will judge me, or demand higher things of me. I'm so afraid of failure that I've made a science of it. But what do you do when God calls you into a deeper relationship with Him. Do you think that method is going to hold for very long? The eyes of my heart inevitably meet with His, and I realize that I cannot be invisible anymore. And THAT kind of fear...well that's just thrilling. It's a fear that you feel when you finally understand how much of you God can see, and how intent He is on seeing you through. It's like reaching the top of the roller coaster and knowing you have no where to go.

And I suppose I'd like to think that when we reach that moment in our faith, God is simply smiling from ear to ear. And He says "Gotcha." :)