A Life Well Lived: Fear of the Lord

Psalm 34:9
O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him, there is no want.

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 10:27
The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Proverbs 15:16
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

Proverbs 19:23
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

Proverbs 23:17
Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But live in the fear of the Lord always.

So what do we do? I don't always agree with Eugene Peterson, but he is right on the mark here:

"So what do we do, given our launch into this life following Jesus? 'Fear the LORD, you his saints' (Ps. 34:9). Fear-of-the-Lord is not studying about God but living in reverence before God."

"Fear-of-the-Lord is the best term we have to point to this way of life we cultivate as Christians."

"The primary way in which we cultivate fear-of-the-Lord is in prayer and worship--personal prayer and corporate worship. We deliberately interupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to God. . . . We become silent and still in order to listen and respond to what is Other than us. . . . Prayer and worship provide the base."

Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

Our goal: Holiness and Fear-of-the-Lord, cultivated by personal prayer and corporate worship.