On Fear

What does it mean to be afraid of God?

"Who then is the man that fears the Lord. He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity and his descendents will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them."

I have often passed over references to the fear of God with a glib reminder to myself that it only really means respect or love. But what does it really mean to be afraid of God? I was struck this morning as I read this passage in Psalms. I would like some input here. What does it really mean to be afraid of God. Are you afraid of Him? If so, what does that look like?

We are quick to say that it doesn't mean to be terrified of God, but there is something terrible about God...not in a bad sense, but people tremble before God--think of Isaiah, or of Moses. When people encounter God in the Bible true terror is often the result.

I have heard many stories about people who have had very real, emotional, spiritual encounters with God and find themselves terrified.

It seems like perhaps we have lost the healthy fear of the sovereign that was common to most people in history. We have so much control over our lives that we lose sight of our own fragility. As our culture has changed we have done our best to remove or ignore the mystery of God, We turn our backs on the power of God.