In the opening section of The Pilgrim’s Progress, we meet
Pilgrim, the main character of the book.
As he reads the word of God, Pilgrim is convicted of his sin and it
weighs heavy upon him. He is burdened
with fear. The book reads, “I looked,
and saw him open the Book and read therein; and as he read and wept and
trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he break out with a lamentable
cry, saying: ‘What shall I do?’” (page 13).
Just a few days ago, I posed the question, “when was the
last time you trembled at the word of God?” (Isaiah 66:2) One person confessed that she is not sure
that she ever has. No one else
responded. I think we have lost a sense
of awe, or perhaps respect, for the holiness of God. We no longer see the offensiveness of our sin
to a wholly pure God. I struggle with this every day. Pilgrim, however,
trembled before His word, convicted of his sin.
We should pray for a sense of awe before the throne of God
(Isaiah 6; Revelation 4). The fear of
the Lord is commended as a good thing in Scripture and we should try to
understand what that means for us as Christians; however, we must also keep in
mind God’s steadfast love and kindness.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is insight-Proverbs 9:10
Have you ever trembled at God's word? What does the fear of God mean to you?
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