Passage to Ponder: Psalm 34
Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD.” -Psalm 34:9-11 (NLT)
A few days ago, I asked you to pray for some real-life heroes, our healthcare professionals. They need our prayers every day! Now I ask that you pray for educators. My children started online classes on Monday. I am so glad I’m not a teacher right now! Not being one who is technologically savvy, I would be lost. And my students would be even more messed up! Students ought to be so glad I’m not their teacher, too! Let’s remember to pray for these wonderful people who are investing their lives for our children’s future. In fact, stop reading right now and say a prayer for our teachers and school administrators.
Now that we have prayed for the teachers, let me ask a question related to education. What is the most important thing that parents need to make sure their children learn? If you read Psalm 34, you know the answer. If the answer didn’t pop into your mind instantly, you need to go back and take a slow attentive walk through that Psalm again. “Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD.”
So, what does it mean to “fear the Lord”? The main Hebrew and Greek words translated fear in the Bible can have several shades of meaning, but in the context of the fear of the Lord, they convey a positive reverence. The Hebrew verb yare can mean “to fear, to respect, to reverence” and the Hebrew noun yirah usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God’s good intentions (Exodus 20:20). The Bible tells you this positive reverence is produced by God’s Word (Psalm 119:38; Proverbs 2:5) and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). At the heart of the fear of the Lord is a desire to love God (because He intends the best for us in all He does) and to obey the Lord’s commands (because God has placed joyous guidelines for us to live productive and meaningful lives).
It is good to make sure your children (or grandchildren) get a good education. A good education is a wise investment that will bless a family for generations. But teaching them to fear the Lord is a blessing that can last a thousand generations. I can hear some thinking, “A thousand generations? Really? How can you make such a claim?” I can make this claim because God has promised this to us! In Exodus 20:6 the Lord said this, “I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”
Love,
Pastor Larry
Pastor Larry
(This is from a series of devotionals written during our time of restricted meetings and activities due to
the coronavirus.)
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