Daily Devotional – 11/5/18 “Fear God and lack for nothing!”

Psalm 34:1-10 says this, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”

This Psalm was sung by David while he hid in a cave running from Saul. He says, “for those who fear him have no lack!” What is fear? We take fear to mean scared of but fear here means reverence; as in respect. What David is saying, when we respect God we want for nothing. See, when you have respect for a person, you will not intentionally do anything to hurt them. When you respect someone, you will not purposely set out to cause them pain. When you respect someone, they are often who you think about before you do something out of character. And respect doesn’t stop. For me, I still respect my grandfather and although he is no longer living on earth, I will not do anything to taint his name. I’m grown but I still respect my mother by not disrespecting her. It is the same for God because I chose to follow Him. Beloved, God doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him because then we serve out of bondage and control and this isn’t the God we serve. And, why would God need to control us by fear when serving Him is a choice we make? To fear God is to respect Him because if we respect Him, we will not do anything deliberately to hurt Him. When we fear God, we serve willingly and not unwillingly because when we do, we lack for nothing. When we fear God, we shall not want. “Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.”