Fear of the Lord

When my husband and I first got married, there were all sorts of adjustments.  One was that he had a hard time getting up in the morning.  And I always got the long commuting jobs that required I get up early.  I would try everything to wake him up, shaking him, yelling at him...  What worked best was the squirt gun.  If I sprayed him in the face he'd jump out of bed!  Then he started asking me to squirt him so he could get out of bed.  There was just one problem, he didn't wake up very happy when I did this.  And this led to an unhappy heart in our home.  Since I've been working at home, I thought I'd try telling him I love him and kissing his forehead to wake him up.  What a huge difference that made!  Even the cats are happier.

Psalm 128

I think the "fear of the Lord" means to have a healthy respect and awe of God, to be humble before Him.  It's like approaching a tiger and saying, "Nice kitty," then patting his head.  Not a great idea.  God is superior to us. He is not going to eat us alive, but we do need to remember who He is, "The Almighty."  Then praise and love Him, walking in His ways.  Amazing how He wants us to draw near, isn't it?

1 Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,

Who walks in His ways.

In Acts, the early Church walked in the fear of the Lord, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  They respected and honored Him, obeying His teachings.

Acts 9:31
31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
NKJV

It does feel really good to earn your own way.  To work with my hands.  I love creating things, it's an awesome feeling to step back from something and realize- "Hey that looks pretty good."  And, well there's the other stuff but practice, practice, practice.  And I have a little praise, I was able to earn some money from a portrait shoot recently.  I'm trusting the Lord to guide me on.

2 When you eat the labor of your hands,

You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

As a wife, I'm happier when he's happy.  It's the same for him.  If he messes up, I tell him!  If I mess up, he's quite honest.  The heart of the house reflects both the husband and wife's faith, humbleness and attitude.  And this affects the children, or cats in our case.  The ability to have a peaceful happy home is a gift from God, a blessing.  We can't do it alone.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.

5 The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.

And for those with grandkids, how wonderful!
6 Yes, may you see your children's children.

Peace be upon Israel!
NKJV

We had a great praise happen in the Prayer Forum.  A woman came out who was unemployed (lots these days).  She requested prayer for a job and money to pay her bills.  Time was running out, she got an eviction notice, and she wrote, "God won't help me! I asked and He refuses."  I tried to tactfully tell her she needs to be humble before Him and prayed for a miracle.  She came back yesterday and said she prayed, "God I give up.  I surrender everything to You.  If You want me to have nothing- take it all." She got 2 jobs!  God is so amazing!  The fear of the Lord, surrender, letting Him guide our steps, is what He requires.  I'm waiting and working for my miracle too, grateful for all He's provided.  So many times when I was working contract, He'd provide our needs just in the nick of time!