The date: October 31, 1991.
The place: Juno Beach, Florida–our home at the time.
The event: The “Halloween Swell,” when monstrous waves nearly twenty feet high broke close to the Atlantic shore and pounded the beach, generated by a powerful “perfect storm” off the coast of New England.
Our family stood on high ground with a gathering crowd, watching the surreal display of awesome power and strength. (Such waves can exert forces over 5,000 pounds per square foot.*)
[Watch a video from an observer on the beach that day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnQJHFEDxyo.]
About fifty yards north, one particularly large wave crashed ashore and washed over the dunes. Several cars parked on the beach road (A1A) actually lifted from the pavement and drifted toward the middle of the road. You’d think they were made of balsa wood.
Understand: by then the wave had lost most of its power, but it still packed a wallop.
We experienced a mix of serious respect and breathtaking wonder that afternoon. Those waves could have crushed us if we’d stood too close.
Yet there was mesmerizing beauty too as the water rose high in a graceful curve, formed a foamy crest, then glided toward shore to crash explosively into the sand.
The waves we witnessed that day were much taller!
Such imagery may help us understand a phrase used over one hundred times in the Bible: the fear of God. One example, Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
Such fear does not mean terror for a Being with infinite strength, but rather serious reverence and respect for who he is: the all-powerful One of the universe (just as we respected the power of those waves that day).
On the other hand, the fear of God also includes awe and breathtaking wonder.
Think of the heart-swell while gazing upward at his innumerable stars . . .
. . . downward into clear, tropical waters where brightly-colored fish and coral dazzle . . .
A parrotfish feeding on algae
. . . into the eyes of a newborn baby . . .
. . . or outward upon his immense and powerful ocean (especially as it heaves tons of water on the shore).
In such moments we can’t help but cry out to the Maker of all wonders, “God, you are so incredibly magnificent! There are no boundaries to your greatness” (Psalm 145:3 MSG, not a direct quote).
Some might think God directs us to fear him as a means of self-gratification, as if he takes prideful satisfaction in our admiration and praise. No, scripture makes clear: his instruction that we fear him leads to blessing for us.
The book of Proverbs alone lists at least twelve benefits:
- Wisdom and understanding (9:10)—because these qualities originate with God (Job 12:13)
- Strong confidence (14:26 ESV)—in the character and promises of God
- A fountain of life (14:27)—a continual prosperity of spirit
- God’s trustworthy instruction (15:33) as we grow in our relationship with him
- Avoidance of evil (16:6)—under the influence of God’s grace and goodness
- True [fulfilling] life, contentment, and ultimate deliverance from evil (19:23)
- Riches [of mind and spirit] and honor [from God himself one day] (Proverbs 22:4)
- Happiness (Proverbs 28:14 HCSB)!
And consider this:
The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.
–Oswald Chambers
So how do we cultivate such a strong fear of God?
Possibilities include:
- Feeding our confidence on scripture each day
- Centering our thoughts frequently on God’s attributes, including his love, forgiveness, power, wisdom, and goodness
- Looking for evidence of his gracious involvement in our lives and expressing continual gratitude
- Spending time with God-fearing people and learning from them
- Seeking to obey his wise ways
Forest Landscape by Peter Monsted, 1908
As we stood on the beach that day in 1991, a healthy fear made us choose a safe distance from a power that could have killed us.
As we contemplate the truths about the healthiest fear of all, the fear of God, we’re also faced with a choice. Only this time it’s a decision to move in close with reverence and awe, toward a Power that gives us life (John 10:10).
*https://www.sky-chaser.com/perfstrm.htm
Image credits: http://www.pxhere.com; http://www.pickpik.com (2); http://www.commons.wikimedia.com; http://www.pxhere.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.publicdomainpictures.com; http://www.picryl.com.
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