extracted from sermon by John Piper, desiringgod.org

The fear of the Lord is fear of fleeing out of his fellowship into the way of sin. Therefore the fear of the Lord is full of peace and security and hope. It keeps us near to the merciful heart of God, our fortress, our refuge, our sanctuary, our shield, our sun. Isaiah 8:13 says, "The Lord of Hosts, . . . let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he will become a sanctuary." A proper fear of the Lord keeps us under the shadow of his wings where we need not be afraid.

Therefore the fear of the Lord is accompanied by tremendous blessing. Listen to the psalms. Psalm 25:14, "The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him; he makes known to them his covenant." Psalm 31:19, "How abundant is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee, and wrought for those who take refuge in thee." (Notice that fearing God and taking refuge in him are parallel. Those who keep the fear of God before their eyes will not run from him but take refuge in him.) Psalm 34:7, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them." Psalm 103:11, "As the heavens are high above the earth so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him." Verse 13, "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him." Psalm 145:19, "He fulfills the desire of all who fear him."

The promises God makes to those who fear him are so staggering that the summons to fear God and the summons to hope in God are inseparable. And so the psalmist puts them together, for example, in Psalm 33:18, "The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his mercy." Psalm 147:11, "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy." A person who fears the Lord will not run away from God to satisfy his longings and relieve his anxieties. He will wait for the Lord. He will hope in God. He will stay close to the heart of God and trust in his promises. The prospect of departing into the way of sin will be too fearful to pursue; and the benefits of abiding in the shadow of the Almighty too glorious to forsake.