All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield. … He will bless those who fear the Lord, both great and lowly. [Psalm 115:11,13 (NLT)]
Even though we know that the words “Fear the Lord” don’t necessarily mean we have to cower in terror, we may still find that phrase troubling when used in reference to our relationship with God. Many of us were afraid of people in our own families so we may carry some heavy baggage when we see the word “fear” in our Bible reading. There are some who grew up in homes where there were arguments instead of discussions and shouting instead of speaking. While punishment was readily handed out, forgiveness wasn’t readily offered. Perhaps there were more tears than laughter and more hostile silences than words of comfort. Children were afraid to approach their parents with a problem because, instead of a solution, they would get a lecture on how their failures brought on the difficulty in the first place. There may even have been outright abuse.
Psalm 115 tells us that, if we fear the Lord, we can trust Him and He will bless us. How are we supposed to trust a god who frightens or terrorizes us as a parent or someone else in authority might have done in the past? If you find it troubling when the word “fear” is used in the context of your connection to God, look to other translations. For example, instead of the word “fear,” the Easy-to-Read Version often uses the word “respect,” the Good News Translation frequently uses the words “honor” and “obey,” and the Message Bible uses “worship.”
God does not want us filled with terror at his presence nor does He does want us cowering in a corner, afraid to seek him. He wants to have a relationship with us, one that is based on love not dread, trust not anxiety, and reverence not fright.
Devotions of the Heart 