Let's examine the Scriptures every day 2025
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Intimate friendship with Jehovah is for those who fear him (Ps. 25:14).
Surely, if I were to make a list of the qualities needed to be a good friend, I wouldn't include fear. But those who want to have a close friendship with Jehovah must fear him. No matter how long we have been in the truth, we must all continue to fear Jehovah. Now, what does it mean to fear God? A person who deeply fears or respects God loves him and doesn't want to do anything that would jeopardize their friendship with him.
A fine example of someone who had “fear of God” was Jesus (Heb. 5:7). What he felt for Jehovah was not terror (Isa. 11:2, 3). On the contrary, Jesus loved his Father with all his heart and wanted to obey him (John 14:21, 31). We too feel deep respect for Jehovah and serve him with reverence because he is a God of love, wisdom, justice, and power. Furthermore, we know that, because he loves us, our actions affect him. If we disobey him, he is saddened, but if we obey him, his heart rejoices (Ps. 78:41; Prov. 27:11).
What is one way to cultivate the fear of God? (Psalm 34:11).
The fear of Jehovah is not a quality we are born with; we must cultivate it (read Psalm 34:11). One way to do this is by observing creation. By perceiving Jehovah’s wisdom, power, and great love for us in “the created things,” our respect and love for him grow (Rom. 1:20).
A sister named Adrienne said: “When I look at Jehovah’s creation and see how wise he is, I feel great admiration and am convinced that he knows what is best for me.” After meditating on this matter, she concluded: “I would never do anything that would distance me from Jehovah, who gave me life.” Could you take some time this week to meditate on some aspect of creation? That will help you to respect and love Jehovah more. (Psalm 111:2, 3)
How does prayer help us to fear Jehovah?
Another thing that will help us to fear Jehovah is to make it a habit to pray to him. The more we talk to our God, the more real he becomes to us. Every time we ask him for strength to endure a trial, we reflect on his immense power. When we thank him for giving his Son for us, we remember how much he loves us. And when we plead for his guidance in dealing with a problem, we impress upon our hearts how wise he is. Such prayers help us to respect him more and to be more determined to avoid anything that could damage our friendship with him.
What must we do to keep fearing Jehovah?
To maintain our fear of Jehovah, we need to study the Bible, learning from both the good and bad examples found within its pages. Let us consider three such examples. First, we will discuss two faithful servants of Jehovah: Obadiah, who was in charge of King Ahab’s household, and Jehoiada the high priest. Then we will examine the life of King Jehoash of Judah, which began well but ended badly, far from Jehovah.
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