If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom as all the readings suggest, we need to take the prayer “Thy will be done” very seriously. This phrase is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer which in turn is at the heart of Christianity. Those who fear the Lord (and obey) are by definition included in the Kingdom.
- People have trouble with both fear of God and obedience
- Fear in this case means respect, acknowledgement as a sign of love
- Fear of not being included in the Kingdom, loved by God
- Fear gets attention but like Billy Graham we have to quickly move on to proclaim the good news of love, healing, forgiveness and a life of joy in right relationship to Jesus.
- Readings teach us the importance of discerning God’d will - spiritual wisdom in nourishing our spiritual lives
1. Soloman prayed for a discerning heart (1 Kings 3.9)
