“And He will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.” (Isaiah 33:6 ESV)
Life is pretty fluid, at least mine seems to be. Yet, Isaiah points out; God is the stability of our times. He is the unblinking constant of our days. All the other factors are variable. He provides abundance (more than enough) salvation, wisdom and knowledge. But the real treasure? The currency that’s truly life-changing? The fear of the Lord. We bring that to the table and the doors open for so much more with God. The fear of the Lord is the threshold of access for all He has to offer us.
In ancient Israel they struggled to figure this out. They thought they needed a king and an army and full coffers to be stable, strong and smart. Somehow they missed the truth that trusting God alone was their greatest asset.
We can’t point fingers too quickly. We still struggle. We act as though a nice home in a safe neighborhood, a paid for car and a fat checking account will create a secure life but God looks for a different kind of treasure in the folds of our story. The fear of the Lord is the most solid foundation we can possibly build on.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10 ESV)
Lord, let us realize sooner than later that our relationship with You is our greatest treasure. May we begin with fear but let fear give way to love as we realize this holy, awesome God treasures His children. Help us center our lives around our trust in You. Amen.