Do you think fear is delightful? Sure, some people enjoy scary movies and such, but what about real fear? I don’t think any of us enjoys experiencing genuine fear, which makes one of Nehemiah’s recorded prayers a bit strange. Nehemiah 1:11 says, “O LORD, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man…” Nehemiah said that there were servants who delighted to fear God’s name. Why would that be?
First, the concept of fearing God includes the idea of reverence and awe. Nehemiah was delighted to honor and revere God. Furthermore, fearing God leads to wisdom, obedience, and trust in God. And when we are on God’s side, there is nothing else to fear. What a joy to be freed from all other fear because we fear the Lord!