"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7)
The starting point.
A in the ABC of being human.
Chapter 1 in the manual on understanding life.
Step one for gaining knowledge, according to the wise man Solomon, is this: Fear God!
We can be uneasy with that thought. We can struggle to hold it with the truth that God is love. And yet it's what the Bible teaches. And it's what the book of Proverbs stresses again and again.
Might this coronavirus pandemic give us all the reminder that as humans we aren't as big and powerful and in control as we like to believe? And might we get ourselves and God back into the right perspective?
Let's pray that for ourselves, before we pray it for others.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
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