If you are new to this site, you may not have seen earlier posts relating to a walk through Proverbs that I am taking with a friend (he in the U.S., me here in Iraq). I share thoughts as God brings them to mind as I read His word.

Proverbs 19:23

23The fear of the LORD leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.

Proverbs 20:5

5Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out.

I think it can take a long time to come to a deeper understanding of the concept of "The Fear of the Lord." Many of us start out equating it to earthy fear, to a punishing and all powerful God ready to smite those who fall short of the Glory of God. And since that happens to be all of us, it can be a pretty fearful prospect.

But I think a truer meaning of The Fear of the Lord" is glimpsed in passages like 19:23. This "fear" leads to life, which allows us to abide in satisfaction. We must be attentive to God, to His word, to His hand and movement as He stirs the world and people around us. As we grow to respect the ways in which He executes His will, and invites us to join Him in His work, our fear really becomes more obedience and the showing of respect to that entity Who is the Creator of all life, but also the author and the finisher of our faith.

But none of us arrive at that place without trial, without error, without setbacks, without fears founded and unfounded. And each of us has had those counselors, those voices of guidance and encouragement that are the flowing waters of those deep currents that we may draw from as we are nourished, and then in turn nourish others.