Proverbs 19:23
Fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
Do you ever have trouble sleeping, consumed by the troubles of this world? This is a sweet proverb because it reminds us that when we follow the Lord in reverence and obedience, His wings will protect us from evil. Imagine knowing that God himself is standing guard over your mind, body and soul each night as you sleep. The guard is posted. The site is secure.
When you fear the Lord you don’t hide in a corner, cowering. This isn’t a tormenting kind of fear, but rather, a respect and deep honor for God and his Word. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 111:10), prolongs your days (Pr. 10:27), and invites His strength into your circumstances (II Chr. 16:9). Job was in right standing with God because he feared him (Job 1:8). Cornelius was a Roman centurion in right standing because of his fear of God (Acts 10:22). Solomon eventually returned to the truth that one must fear the Lord in order to find any true satisfaction in life (Ecc. 12:13). Can you be counted among the wise who fear the Lord?
A pastor once greeted me in the parking lot of the church as we made our way to our cars to head home. Unbeknownst to him, I had been struggling with a sin issue in my life and out of nowhere (wink wink) he says, “It sure is nice to go to sleep with a clear conscience!” When you fear and follow God it can have an amazing impact on how you sleep…but it will also keep you protected from the Evil One himself. There will be spiritual attacks, of course, but God will give you a way to conquer them and overcome the schemes of the devil.
I really like how the “Let God Be True” devotional wraps this up:
The greatest life is to walk with God on earth and to have eternal life with Him in heaven.The greatest satisfaction is to know God personally, including all eternity (Ps 73:23-28). The greatest security is passing through death into heaven and being declared righteous. Those that fear the LORD get all three, bought and guaranteed by the Lord Jesus Christ.
