Fear of the Lord 2.0

The conversation continues...

So I started asking people around me (pastors, trusted ministry leaders, friends) what "the fear of the Lord" meant to them. I got some good answers, some familiar and others shedding new light on the subject. But I thought that there HAS to be other Jesus followers who had or were presently wrestling with this concept. Again, believing that arriving at a conclusion was improbable, I'm continually being reminded that our faith is to be "worked out with fear and trembling". Which means we don't give up, we press on, we lean in, we don't let go like Jacob, and we persevere. Then we might, just might, receive a blessing. Or even a new name.

One conversation I had:
ME: What do you think of when I say "the fear of the Lord."?

OTHER PERSON: I had a friend that visited the White House in Washington D.C. He told me that before they enter, they are briefed by a White House staff member as to what is acceptable behavior inside the White House. This friend told me that it didn't matter what they were told before. As soon as you walk into the Oval Office, you are struck with the weight of where you are. This is THE Oval Office. As a result, you're behavior is such that you don't have to think about what is appropriate behavior, you are automatically in a state of respect, of reverence, of awe, and of fear.

ME: Interesting.

OTHER PERSON: So I think that to fear the Lord is to have a perspective that you are in the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob. You are on holy ground. God is near. And you act a certain way in that presence. Your reasons for doing things are changed in that presence. Your love for God is deep in that presence. Your desire is to be holy in that presence.