I Choose Today to Walk in Childlike Awe

This is the last attribute of the seven-fold Holy Spirit that Isaiah prophesied Jesus would be empowered with when He came to make a way for our salvation and reconciliation with our Heavenly Father.

Some time ago, I wrote a post about how fearing the Lord means to be in awe of Him and to have deep reverence for who He is. But today, I want to explain this concept in a way that speaks to something many of us understand—parenting.

When we have children, our desire is to nurture them as they grow, guiding them toward a path that allows them to thrive. This isn’t just good parenting; it’s biblical:

“Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6 AMPC

As parents, we don’t just train our children in general morality—we seek to understand their individual gifts, personalities, and callings so we can guide them in the way they were created to walk. When we train, instruct, and guide them, they naturally want to please us. Most of the time, they choose what is right because they love us, trust us, and want to make us proud. But when they push boundaries (which they always do!), we gently correct and guide them back to the right path—the path we know is best for them.

Children are often in awe of their parents, wanting to emulate them because, in their eyes, there is no one greater than Mom or Dad. They follow because of a natural reverence, trust, and desire to be close to the ones who love them.

What Does This Have to Do With the Fear of the Lord?

God created us—we are His children (1 John 3:1). Just as we desire to lead our children well, He desires to lead, guide, and teach us because He knows us best and understands which path is right for us (Isaiah 30:21, Psalm 32:8).

When we truly know who God is—His holiness, His love, His wisdom, His goodness—we respond in awe and reverence. Just as a child wants to honor and trust their parent, we want to honor, trust, and obey our Heavenly Father. But unlike earthly parents, God’s love is not based on our performance—He doesn’t love us more when we get things right or less when we fail (Romans 5:8). Rather, our obedience flows out of love for Him (John 14:15), just as a child who feels secure in their parents’ love naturally desires to follow their guidance.

Even Jesus—though fully God—demonstrated what it means to walk in the Fear of the Lord. He lived in complete submission to the Father, saying, “The Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). His reverence and obedience were not driven by fear of punishment, but by love, trust, and perfect unity with the Father.

This is what it means to fear the Lord—to stand in awe of Him, to trust that His ways are good, and to walk in loving obedience, knowing that He, as our Father, desires what is best for us.

The Fear of the Lord isn’t about terror or dread—it’s about standing in awe of who God is, honoring Him as our loving Father, and trusting His wisdom above our own. Just as Jesus walked in reverence and obedience to the Father, we too are called to live in a way that reflects our deep love and respect for Him.

And the incredible part? We don’t have to do this alone.

Isaiah 11:2 tells us that the Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jesus, empowering Him with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the Fear of the Lord. That same Spirit now dwells in us as believers! The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to live with awe, reverence, and trust—not by our own strength, but through His empowerment.

So today, I encourage you: Ask the Holy Spirit to deepen your reverence for God. Invite Him to help you see the Father with fresh awe, to guide your steps in obedience, and to align your heart with His wisdom.

Let’s walk in the Fear of the Lord—not out of obligation, but out of a heart that knows and loves Him.