For All My Children
In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge. - Proverbs 14:26
Lord, help me understand what these words mean to me:
In the fear of the Lord...
This does not mean terror or trembling or actually an emotion at all. I believe it simply means that you recognize God as God—the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, immutable God—the only one true, living God. You credit to Him all power and wisdom as the sovereign God. When you acknowledge His attributes and recognize how powerful He is you reverence Him—you fear1 Him. With this knowledge indelibly printed in your mind and bedded deep within your heart comes the desire to walk in the awareness of this all-powerful, all-loving God. Every detail of your life is governed by this knowledge. This is walking in the fear of the Lord.
...there is strong confidence...
I have great confidence as I walk in the fear of the Lord. Why? Well, I know that I belong to this all-powerful God, that I am His child and that He is going to take care of me; He loves me more than I can possibly comprehend with a love such as I have never known; I know that He lives within me and that His strength and wisdom are unfathomable; I know that I am going to live with Him forever in an inconceivably beautiful place called Heaven. How could I possibly stifle confidence when these things are mine? I have great confidence!
...and his children will have refuge
As I walk this way, my children will have refuge. I don't know all that this encompasses, but we can talk about the meaning. It could mean that my children have access to all that He is and all of His promises because of my walking in the fear of the Lord. It could mean that my children are more likely to find refuge in Him; after all, they have heard about Him from my lips, they have seen Him in my life and they know the validity of my faith. It could mean that because of walking in the fear of the Lord my children are protected from the evil of the world or it could mean that my children have an inheritance available to them, a refuge waiting for them because of my walking habitually—in the fear of the Lord.
Whatever it means, it's a promise from God to Anabel as I walk in it. I derive deep and satisfying personal benefit from walking in the fear of the Lord, yes, but I dedicate myself to learning and growing and exhibiting this knowledge more and more so that the promise includes my children. They will have refuge.
And for their sakes I consecrate myself, that they, too, may be consecrated in truth - John 17:19
1 Hebrew Interpretation: reverential awe