Fear of the Lord

I'm doing a scripture-study on fear of the Lord. I feel like both my mind and my spirit are struggling to wrap themselves around this so often neglected concept. In the evangelical church we've reduced it to reassuring people they don't have to be afraid of God but just in "awe" of Him...whatever that means...and skimmed over the fear of the Lord references in the Bible, often even directly misinterpreting and reading fear of the Lord yet proceeding to discuss it as if it said love of the Lord. Once I had the revelation that it is God's kindness that draws us to repentance but by fear of the Lord we depart from sin, I couldn't believe it wasn't so obvious to me before...

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
Proverbs 16:6

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
Proverbs 14:27

I feel like every time I open my bible I even unintentionally find more...finding and walking fear of the Lord has become my heart's desire...

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
Psalm 86:11

The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
Psalm 25:14

With Psalm 86:11, I hear it used so often and misquoted... give me an undivided heart that I might "serve you" or "love you" or fill-in-the-blank with anything other than fear your name. We almost intentionally "skip" this topic!

How can we do anything else we're called to do in our Christian walk when fear of the Lord is fundamental even to our calling to share the gospel...

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
II Corinthians 5:11

This morning I found one that truly puzzles me. I tend to see God's love and God's fear-inspiring essence as somehow divided yet...

If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Psalm 130:4
Somehow they must be more linked than I realized. If part of our fear of Him comes out of recognizing Him for who He is even in His mercy and forgiveness!

Sometimes I feel that if I could just once really get a perspective on who God is and who I am in relation to Him, I would never again grow into complacency or sin... and yet everytime I glimpse myself through His eyes, I am so like the man James describes:

A man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Thoughts for the day...