What It Means to Fear the Lord
Human knowledge is amazing. Reflecting our Creator, we were made with the ability to solve complex problems.
Yet even with our ingenuity, we still face impossible situations—health struggles, financial crises, broken relationships. We try everything, but nothing works, and when we reach that point, fear creeps in—an overwhelming sense that we’re in danger and must react to regain control.
But the real danger isn’t the circumstance itself. It’s when fear becomes a false god. We begin to serve it, obey it, and let it control us. It keeps us from the freedom and abundant life Jesus wants for us.
Uncompromised faith doesn’t bow to fear. It fears only the Lord—not in terror, but in reverence, recognizing His authority over our lives and the world. When we live with this fear of the Lord, every other fear shrinks in comparison, and we make room for Him to do the impossible.
Daniel’s Example of Living by Faith
In Daniel 2, we’re given a powerful example of uncompromised faith in the face of fear.
King Nebuchadnezzar was plagued by a troubling dream. He summoned his advisors and demanded the impossible: tell him the dream and its meaning. When they failed, he ordered all the wise men executed—including Daniel and his friends.
When the captain of the guard arrived to carry out the decree, Daniel didn’t panic or scheme. Instead, he asked the king for a chance to solve the mystery, then he went home, gathered his friends, and urged them to plead for God’s mercy (Daniel 2:17–18).
Some problems are simply too big for human solutions. They require God-sized answers.
Fearing the Lord means trusting not only His power to do the impossible, but also His sovereignty over every situation. We don’t just pray for escape—we pray for endurance, believing His purposes are greater than ours.
Prayer wasn’t Daniel’s last resort; it was his first instinct. And he didn’t pray alone; he called on his friends, knowing the power of united prayer. When believers come together in desperate dependence on God, His presence is magnified and His power displayed (Matthew 18:20).
Daniel knew that some problems are simply too big for human solutions. They require God-sized answers.
Expect God to Be God
At the heart of Daniel’s response was unshakable confidence in who God is. Prayer wouldn’t have been his first instinct if he hadn’t already built a deep, ongoing relationship with God.
Long before the crisis, Daniel cultivated intimacy with the Lord through prayer and His Word. That daily rhythm reminded him of God’s character—holy, just, merciful, faithful—and His nature—unchanging, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present.
So, when the crisis came, Daniel didn’t have to wonder where to turn. He knew exactly who held the answer.
Because Daniel knew God, he expected God to show up. And He did.
The same is true for us. If we want prayer to be our natural reflex in life’s hardest moments, we need to meet with God in prayer and Scripture daily, even in our less challenging moments. Each time we remember His power and faithfulness, our confidence grows that nothing is too big for Him.
Putting It into Practice
Daniel’s story invites us to live differently when we encounter problems too big to solve. Here are some practical takeaways:
- Pray first, not last. Make prayer your reflex, not your backup plan.
- Pray together. God promises His presence when we gather in His name. Who can you call on to pray with you?
- Be bold in prayer. Daniel asked specifically for God to reveal the mystery regarding the king’s dream and trusted Him to respond.
- Expect God to be God. Daily prayer and Scripture build the confidence you’ll need in a crisis.
- When God answers, give Him praise. Daniel gave thanks when the Lord delivered (Daniel 2:19-23).
No problem you face today is bigger than the God who loves you. Like Daniel, may we learn to pray first, fear less, and expect God to move in ways only He can.
This post is inspired by the second message of our sermon series, “Uncompromised,” by Dr. Jody Ray. Dive deeper into what the first six chapters of Daniel teach about standing firm in a culture that demands compromise by ordering a copy of our book, “Uncompromised: Faith That Doesn’t Fold.”