LIVING IN THE GOOD
Psalm 25: 12-14 NKJV
12 Who is the man that fears the Lord?
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
I am sure you thought when you heard the title of this devotional that the verses for today would not be from Revelation. And you would be right. Our verses for today are a revelation of what the fear of the Lord produces in our lives. And it’s all good.
This psalm has a different flow to it. David starts out asking for help from his enemies and for God to reveal His ways. So the psalm starts as a plea, yet in the middle verses, there is a shift. David had the unique calling of being anointed as the king of Israel, but also being anointed as a prophet. He may have started this psalm with a plea for help, but shifts gears in the middle to offer instructions.
Our verses today talk about the fear of the Lord, and David is qualified to speak to this. David carried such a reverence for God, such a respect. God had called him and delivered him and been good to David. David’s life was a consistent respect for the Lord and a life that was lived for Him. When someone fears the Lord, the Lord gets involved with teaching them. Ever wonder why some people just seem to be receiving something from the Lord on a consistent basis, while others seem left out of God’s goodness? We know God does not play favorites. A determining factor is that some fear the Lord while others think much more lightly of Him.
The ones who have a genuine fear of the Lord will live in prosperity. Don’t allow that word to throw you. A note in my Bible says the word means goodness. A person who fears the Lord will live in the good. And that makes perfect sense from a spiritual standpoint. Someone who displays a reverence and respect for God and is learning God’s ways is going to place themselves in a much better position to receive good. Their lives, aligned with God, will produce good fruit. David was the one who also said that surely goodness and mercy would follow this person all their lives. And that goodness would also impact their children and grandchildren.
And David does not stop there. Verse fourteen declares that the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. Our God is all-knowing, so nothing is secret to Him. But to those who fear Him, He will show them His covenant. Have you ever noticed that God shows up in the lives of some and seems to avoid others? God is not avoiding people, but those who fear Him come close to Him. These are the ones who have greater access to the wisdom and revelation of God. Those who fear Him are interested in His words and ways, so it’s appropriate that they will know and see more.
There is no downside to fear of the Lord - it’s all good.
PRAYER
Lord, show me what it means to truly live in the fear of You. I want to please You and have Your goodness in my life.