Fear the Lord: Long Life - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 4 2022

We've been learning about the fear of the Lord for almost two weeks. We've learned that fearing the Lord brings us blessings, praises from the Lord and man as well as His favor which translates to favor from human beings as well. We've also learned that being stiff-necked means being stubborn and resisting God. It is not an attribute of a person who fears the Lord and is to be avoided at all costs.

However, did you know that fear of the Lord brings long life? Proverbs 10:27 - The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

The Lord has assured those who honor Him that they shall live long in the land He has given to them (Genesis 6:3). That is already a promise He's made. However, the fear of the Lord assures a lengthened life span. And God is not unjust (Hebrews 6:10), so we can expect that life span to be blessed by Him and therefore not riddled with illness and other problems.

We underestimate the importance of fearing the Lord. Just yesterday I read Psalm 90:11 - If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. The reverence God deserves is much bigger than we can imagine. And as we continue to learn the benefits of fearing Him, we should commit ourselves to exponentially fearing Him. Imagine losing out on the benefit of a blessed, favored and long life because we didn't show God the respect and awe He deserved? Especially now that you know the consequences. Imagine walking around like the Pharaoh who thought he was God's equal (or as one of our good sister's called it "birdboxing" with God)?

We need not be foolish in this life. We need not walk around with blinders on. We are children of God and He has given us what we need to live lives that honor Him and thereby bring His grace upon us, our prayer subjects and even the environments we might find ourselves in. My prayer is that we are all being further convinced of the need to give ourselves over to God and His precepts. To show Him the fear and dread He is due as stated in Isaiah 8:13.

Consider this warning in Ecclesiastes 8:13 - Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow. The consequences of not living lives that display the fear of the Lord are severe. Not just while in the land of the living but once he returns us to dust. There are only two choices - heaven and hell. Fearing the Lord now, will determine where our eternal and final accommodations will be.

May the Lord help each of us, granting us grace to receive His word in our marrow and thereby obey it with every part of our being, Amen. Let us fear the Lord and be saved.