ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 TOKONAKI SIULAI 11, 2026

PALOVEPI 14-15; SAAME 111:1-10

Only one fear gives us life, hope, and courage: the fear of the Lord.

Ko e manavahē pe taha ‘oku ne foaki kiate kitautolu ‘a e mo’ui, ‘amanaki mo e loto to’a: ko e manavahē ki he ‘Otua.

I stood transfixed before what may be Barnett Newman's greatest painting, Vir Heroicus Sublimis (Man, Heroic and Sublime). Newman applied layers and layers of thin red paint, creating a hundred square feet of red. When you stand before the painting, you feel as though you could walk into this sea of red. If you stand there for long, it feels as though the painting is absorbing you. It is magnificent and awe-inspiring, and there is nothing else like it. But, though this work of art momentarily captures your awe, it cannot change the character or content of your heart, and it surely has no power whatsoever to bring you from death to life. Vir Heroicus Sublimis is a lifeless glory hanging on the wall of a museum, and nothing more.

The world around us is filled with created glories: a sunset painted across the early evening sky; the undulating dance of poppies in the wind; the glistening white purity of new-fallen snow; the melody of a multihued songbird; the thrill of standing on top of a mountain you have just climbed; or the rush of accomplishment as a diploma is placed in your hands. Each of these things captures our awe for a moment, but does little more than that. The world God made is wonderful and inspiring, but it has no power to address and meet our deepest longings and needs. Earth will never be our savior.

That's why the words of Proverbs 14:26-27 should not be glossed over:

In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence,

and his children will have a refuge

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

God has hardwired us to fear. No, I don't mean he intends us to live in terror. Here's what this fear is about. Our hearts are awe centers. This means that something always captures the awe of our hearts, and what captures the awe of our hearts will then control the way we live. Fear of God-life-shaping, worship-producing, and obedience-motivating awe of God-is the only thing that can capture our heart and has the capacity to give us life. Fear of God produces confidence, because it has the power to disarm all the other things we may be afraid of in this life. Fear of God is a fountain of life, renewing our lives day after day.

Do you fear the Lord? Has awe of him protected you from awe of other things that have no ability to give you what only God can? What shapes the way you live? What gives you the confidence to get up in the morning to face another day? May we fear the Lord.