Read the Psalm

From a prayer shaped by Ecclesiastes, we move to a prayer shaped by Proverbs. The words “fear the Lord” are a theme in Proverbs and also frequently misunderstood. When the concept of fear is connected to the Lord, it means to notice, to be aware. To fear the Lord is to be aware of His presence and activity. We might ask the questions: God, how are you involved in this? How are you present in this situation?

Fearing the Lord is described as the beginning of wisdom in Proverbs (1:7; 9:10). Wisdom is discernment, and asking how God is present and involved is the ultimate discernment. In this psalm/prayer, the words “walks in His ways” are paired with “fears the Lord.” This couplet is about awareness (fear) and response (walk). This response of walking in His ways is a result of discerning His ways. 

From here, we ask the question: what are His ways? Of course, in Isaiah 55:8, God reminds us: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” Before we start to look at His ways, a posture of humility is important. It can be easy to think that we know His thoughts and ways, but God is inviting us to consider that His thought processes are different than ours. His way of interacting with His creation is different than we might expect. 

We do “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) but we can’t assume that we will always understand or see the logic. God has infinitely more information at His disposal than we do. In addition, His processing speed is faster and His processing flows from pure love. Consequently, His ways are often mysterious (see both 1 Cor and Ephesians for extensive use of the word), and at the same time, they are perfect (Psalm 18:30).

Love is always at the center of His ways. Because God is love (1 John 4), this is the interpretive lens through which we should look at what it means to walk in ways. His ways are inherently relational since God exists as Trinity (the perfect union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). To walk in His ways is to walk in love (Ephesians 5:2). All the commands of Scripture are about love. (Matthew 22:34-40) Moment by moment, we discern through prayerful attentiveness to the Lord and His love.

The first word of this prayer is the often-misunderstood word “blessed.” It does not mean that everything will go well or that we will not have troubles. The Beatitudes of Matthew 5 make this incredibly clear as do the experiences of our lives. Blessedness is the state of experiencing closeness and connection with God, and it is largely unconnected to the circumstances and conditions of our lives. God Himself is deepest desire of our heart … blessing is to experience Him. Ephesians 1:3 reminds us that He has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” 

So, the one who fears the Lord experiences a closeness and connection with God. As it relates to our life with God, things we may have previously thought of as a “blessing” might be the opposite. For example, if we were to receive a large sum of money, it might draw us away from noticing the Lord and enjoying our life with Him. In this case, the money would not a blessing at all, but the exact opposite.

Strangely, the last verses of Psalm 127 would seem to suggest that the result of fearing God is having a good family. However, the proverbial nature of this prayer alerts that what is prayed are not promises but a description of how things tend to go. Proverbs are observations from years of experience, given from the older to the younger. We may want guarantees, promises, and control but this is not about ensuring outcomes.

In general, we experience healthy relationships when we walk in the ways of the Lord. In a similar way, when we eat healthy foods, our bodies will be healthy but sometimes there are factors we do not control like genetics or environmental issues. Similarly, in our relationships, when love is the currency, our relationships tend to go well. It does not mean that our children will love God as we do or that there won’t be other challenges because they are so many things we do not control. 

As we fear the Lord and walk in His ways (awareness and response), we discover more and more that we control almost nothing except our awareness and response.

Finally, the “blessing” of verse fives draws us back to Zion – the space where God’s presence was experienced directly for the ancient people of God. To bless from Zion acknowledged that knowing His presence is the destination and desire.

Reflection questions: how would you describe “fearing God” to someone? (in your own words) Ask God to give you insight into what walking in His way (through the lens of love) might look like in your life.

Prayer: Oh Father, may I live today with awareness and responsiveness. Give me eyes to see You in all things and to follow Your ways of love and kindness. Amen.