The Church Strengthened by God’s Presence
The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.” Acts 9:31
As I was reading in our reading plan this morning, the Lord kept bringing me back to one line from Acts 9:31: “It became stronger as the believers lived in fear of the Lord.” That phrase just caught me.
What does it mean to live in fear of the Lord?
Should we be afraid of God?
It reminded me of a line from one of my favorite childhood series, The Chronicles of Narnia, where Mr. Beaver is describing Aslan. When Lucy asks if Aslan is safe, he responds, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” That line has always stuck with me - especially the part where Mr. Beaver adds, “He’s not a tame lion.” The fear of the Lord is kind of like that. It’s not a cowering fear, but a reverent awe in the presence of Someone immensely powerful, holy, and good.
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” To fear the Lord is to recognize that He is God and we are not. It means taking Him seriously - His Word, His holiness, His authority, and His love. It’s the foundation of wisdom, and it shapes how we live, how we speak, how we make decisions, and how we view the world.
And beautifully, this kind of reverence doesn’t drive us away from God - it draws us closer. Living in fear of the Lord creates intimacy, because it aligns our hearts with His and keeps us sensitive to His presence.
In Acts 9, this was a defining moment for the early church. Saul had just been radically converted. The church was emerging from a time of intense persecution and beginning to catch its breath. Yet it wasn’t political freedom or public popularity that made the church thrive. It was that they lived in the fear of the Lord and were encouraged by the Holy Spirit. That is what strengthened them.
And that still holds true today. The church is never at its strongest when it’s the most comfortable - it’s at its strongest when it is most surrendered to the Lord. When we live in holy reverence of God and walk in step with the Spirit, we will thrive. Not always outwardly. Not always circumstantially. But spiritually - where it matters most - we will flourish.
Ask yourself:
Am I living in the fear of the Lord, or just living for myself?
Take a moment to explore that place in your heart. Ask the Lord to reveal where reverence has been replaced, and invite Him to stir fresh awe and closeness in your walk with Him.
Heavenly Father, teach me to walk in reverent awe of You. Help me take Your Word seriously, honor You in my decisions, and stay to the comforting presence of Your Spirit. Strengthen me - and strengthen Your church - as we live in the fear of the Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
